Tag Archives: EdFringe

EdFringe Talk: Everest Mallory 24 (With Stanley)

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“Obviously, it’s great to go and watch the established acts. But the really special experiences are when you come across an extraordinary performer in one of the small, intimate spaces.”

WHO: Andy Dickinson

WHAT: “A comic storytelling show, based on the 1924 British Mount Everest expedition. It follows Mallory on the SS California to India, on a train across to Darjeeling, and on ponies across Tibet. In tow is Stanley from the Mad Hatter’s town of Stockport, Manchester. All of this is new to Stanley, who has barely been up Helvellyn in the Lake District! Once reaching Mount Everest, they must tackle it with feet, ropes, and possibly some oxygen. Knowing his own limitations, Stanley absolutely does not make a summit attempt, alongside Mallory and Irvine…”

WHERE: The Vault at Paradise in The Vault (Venue 29) 

WHEN: 19:15 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

No, this is my fifth Edinburgh Fringe, and my third as a solo performer!

As a producer, there is no better place to get a show on its feet. With over 3000 other shows on, you know that you have to bring your very best work. Moreover, there is the concentration of reviewers, agents, and producers. If you do do the right show, at the right time, things can really take off for you. So far, we have had 2 quite big successes – Shackleton and his Stowaway, which went on to play a Sold Out run in Park 90, London, and Tam O’Shanter, Tales and Whisky, which Sold Out for 2 performances in the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, for Burns Night 2023.

As a festival goer, there is endless variety, and genuinely something for everyone. Obviously, it’s great to go and watch the established acts. But the really special experiences are when you come across an extraordinary performer in one of the small, intimate spaces. To be a spectator there is a true privilege.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2024 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

Since 2024, I believe I have developed quite a lot as a solo performer. Till now, I have been performing with a hand mic and stand, in what was effectively a mix of theatre, storytelling, and stand up comedy. For 2025, I have dropped the hand mic and stand. This has been liberating! Storytelling is, of course, words embodied, and I am no longer constricted by the mic. Also, by roaming the whole stage, I can create whole scenes, far more effectively. You may even come to believe that we are approaching Everest, AND then climbing up it, in my current show.

Also, I have learnt to pace myself. 3 weeks, with 20 shows, is quite a serious commitment. Obviously, my principle focus has to be my own show. But it’s worth trying to fit in some other shows every few days, to connect with other artists, and also to give yourself a proper breather!

I also learnt how to categories my show, more carefully, so that audiences will find it easier to get to me – Theatre, Storytelling, Comedy!

Tell us about your show.

For 2025 my show is ‘Everest Mallory 24 (With Stanley)’, which I wrote myself. It is based on the very famous British Mount Everest Expedition of 1924. This is the most famous of all the British Everest expeditions. However I tell it in a new way, with a new character!

The character is Stanley, who comes from the mad hatter’s town of Stockport. He has been ‘up Kinder once. Not quite to the top.’ So yes, he’s not the best person to be tagging along on such an expedition. Mallory certainly doesn’t make him feel welcome! Stanley is, in effect, an everyman. He reacts to the increasing dangers and jeopardy in a way that most of us would. He’s ‘probably’ not going to be making an attempt on the actual summit . . .

Stanley is something of an alter ego for me. I am also from Stockport. I am also a fan of the early Himalayan adventures. I also have been known to go up Kinder, Helvellyn, Ben Nevis. I’m not as bad as Stanley is at it, though! At the same time, I would never be going beyond Base Camp at Everest.

We did some previews of the show at Leicester Comedy Festival, Brighton Fringe, and Keswick Mountain Festival. Not surprisingly, they were familiar with the story down in Keswick. Fortunately, the history has all been solidly researched!

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

Tomatoes Tried to Kill Me but Banjos Saved My life, which I think is worth attending just for the title. Not quite a banjolele, but I do play the Ukulele myself. Its’ theme is one that is close to the heart of all artists, in respect of art being the flame that keeps us all ever marching on.

A Mad Mad Wonderland. Jason Woods has a marvellous flair for bringing numerous characters to life, from Lewis Carroll’s works. Not only bringing them to life, but giving them his own spin, particularly with a range of celebrity voices. Unbelievably, James is actually doing 2 shows at this year’s Fringe!

I’ve also seen Make it Happen but that comes to an end on 9th Aug. And National Theatre of Scotland don’t exactly need a plug from me! Other shows on my list are The Truman Capote Talk Show, Air Heart, and Amazons.

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‘Wodehouse in Wonderland’ (Venue 17, until AUG 24th)

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, 5*, Rated: Outstanding, Theatre by

“There is a dramatic pivot in this piece delivered with such sudden, callous, earth-shatteringly precise cruelty that afterwards, for the first time ever, I find myself waiting by the stagedoor determined to shake the hand of the horribly talented actor who has just sucker punched us all in the gut.”

Editorial Rating: 5 Stars (Outstanding)

We enter to find ourselves in the study of one of the most celebrated writers of English since Chaucer’s pilgrims first set out to Canterbury. The seemingly uncomplicated genius of Pelham Grenville Wodehouse (1881 – 1975) conjoured into being such immortals as Jeeves and Wooster, Ukridge, Mr Mulliner, as well as some of the most popular, zeitgeisty smash hits of the interwar years. Gershwin, Porter, Kern and Novello all knew him as an equal. He was big in America at a time when America itself was getting big.

Stage left there’s a home bar. Scotch and soda, martinis and the requisite stemware. In the centre, behind the writing desk, a picture window looks out over the Suffolk County landscape – Suffolk County, Long Island, not the East of England for reasons which will become obvious as the plot thickens. A red leather chesterfield armchair completes the scene. It’s the familiar haunt of someone whose literary oeuvre and immortal reputation became established in his own lifetime in the way that an auld oak tree or a gothic catheral might seem established only after the passage of centuries.

Robert Daws completely captures the chronological vertigo of this seemingly very ordinary Englishman towards the close of an extraordinary life. Daws is one of those faces familiar off the telly from ‘Midsummer Murders’, ‘Roger Roger’, ‘Robin of Sherwood’, and of course Fry and Laurie’s masterpiece ‘Jeeves and Wooster’ series. Daws is delivering one of the finnest bits of character work to be seen this EdFringe – this is the other show that us mega Pip Utton fans MUST SEE this year.

With a glove-like fitting, Daws inhabits the persona, personality, and personal space of Wodehouse, a familiar figure yet also an ultra private individual, a charmingly befuddled auld stick in the mud who came to public notice during the roaring exuberance of the 1920s. Wodehouse scaled the highest heights of celebratory fame and success. He became a legend in his own lifetime only to suffer one of those excrutiating moments of irrefutable British tabloid unfairness to rank alongside Michael Foot’s donkey jacket or Prince Harry’s entire adult life. The folk who love to loathe Wodehouse will never let us forget his ill-advised broadcasts from internment during WWII but this was not the only dark cloud that lour’d upon our Wodehouse. There is a dramatic pivot in this piece delivered with such sudden, callous, earth-shatteringly precise cruelty that afterwards, for the first time ever, I find myself waiting by the stagedoor determined to shake the hand of the horribly talented actor who has just sucker punched us all in the gut.

Here is a masterful performance to rank alongside Christopher Lee’s Saruman and for precisely the same reason. Lee was famously the only member of the LOTR cast to have actually met Tolkein. Similar magic has rubbed off on Robert Daws who has known, worked and collaborated with some of the very greatest Wodehousians – Carmichael, Fry, Laurie, Spall, Horden, Jarvis, and Mangan. Daws received the personal blessing and benediction for this production from Sir Edward Cazalet, the son of Wodehouse’s beloved daughter Leonora. Daws is himself of course the definitive Hildebrand “Tuppy” Glossop resoncibile for some of the most joyously side splitting moments of the 90s TV series. My only criticism of this show is that there isn’t a tie-in album of the seven or so Broadway songs written by Wodehouse which Daws merrily belts out with the calm, luxurious, powerful assurance of a 1932 Lagonda 3-litre Weymann.

Come for the candid yet reverential insight into a true great of English letters. Stay for simply one of the best solo performances you’ll see at this or any Fringe. Get your a trifle too exotic Sir white mess jackets on and go see this!

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EdFringe Talk: GENDAI

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“As a performer, it’s both exciting and humbling to be part of such a huge mix of talent from around the world.”

WHO: Gendai

WHAT: “A Japanese laser show combining custom-made paper costumes, expressive body performance and original music featuring traditional Japanese instruments. Movements are sharp, precise and unpredictably playful – designed to surprise and engage. Laser light becomes a visual masterpiece: meticulously designed, immersive and breathtakingly beautiful. This performance invites audiences to feel, see and experience a world where energy flows through light, sound and movement. In a space where tradition and innovation meet, rhythm, texture and emotion – born from the body – carry the audience on an unexpected journey beyond the visual.”

WHERE: Temple at WU (Venue 396) 

WHEN: VARIES (15 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Yes – this is my first time performing in Edinburgh, and it’s been incredible to experience the scale and energy of the Fringe. What’s special about EdFringe is the way the whole city becomes a stage, and how audiences arrive ready to discover something new. As a performer, it’s both exciting and humbling to be part of such a huge mix of talent from around the world.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2024 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

We want the audience to feel a deep emotional connection—through awe, serenity, and wonder. The performance is designed to be immersive and meditative, offering moments of stillness and intensity that reflect the contrasts found in Japanese culture.

Tell us about your show.

I personally programmed the laser sequences to sync with my dance. One of the biggest challenges was blending automated light patterns with the human body’s texture and movement. The soundtrack is also self-produced, incorporating subtle elements of Japanese sound culture throughout.

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

After our show, I’d love for you to experience The Proust Effect by Eden Choi—a mesmerizing close-up magic performance with a global twist. He invites the audience to a journey around the world through sleight-of-hand, seamlessly blending humor, warm connection, and astonishing finesse.
His tricks are performed just a few feet away, making every moment feel intimate and magical. According to reviews, “His sleight-of-hand is so smooth, so astonishingly clean… Tricks that should be impossible unfold right in front of your eyes.”

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‘Not Another Quiz Night’ (Venue 8, until AUG 23rd)

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, 5*, Rated: Outstanding, Theatre by

“This show is rowdy like an invasion of Mongolian horsearchers is rowdy.”

Editorial Rating: 5 Stars (Outstanding)

On balance, and after careful consideration, I can confidently say this is the best show I have seen at any EdFringe. A good review is a balance of the informative, the objective, and the subjective. For your information, this show is a Daliesque acid trip of a pub quiz with all the traditional elements done massive and then some. Objectively, the crowd is huge, mad for it, loving it, and kept thoroughly entertained throughout 90 minutes of brilliantly bonkers boisterousosity. Subjectively, how could I not love a show featuring popadom frisbee (Queensbury Rules)? There’s celebrity appearances, fat cupid, Liam and/or Noel Gallagher, as well as the single greatest Alan Rickman impersonation this side of Hogwarts.

Our host, Jake Bhardwaj, is a one-man Disaster Area – the plutonium rock band from ‘Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’ said to be the loudest rock band in the Galaxy, and also the loudest noise of any kind at all. Bhardwaj’s stagecraft is exceptional. Watching him is like having a front row seat at a supernova or seeing Usain Bolt run an egg spoon race against a kangaroo. Supported by a host of chaotic, colourful misfits, what Bhardwaj conjures into existence is definitely maybe the purest of pure doses of explosively lowbrow highbrow comedy delivered directly into the bloodstream. This show is rowdy like an invasion of Mongolian horsearchers is rowdy.

If you’re afraid of audience participation, look away now. There’s Biggest Crisp, Baywatch Beach Parade, and a piss-your-pants-laughing plethora of properly funny parts for everyone, front seats and back. There is also the pub quiz itself, which is a solid mix of pop culture and no-holds-barred tricky brain teasers. From the concept, through planning, and into delivery, this is a phenomenal EdFringe success story that needs to be added to every August calendar and spreadsheet. Come for the greatest and best bar trivia night in the known universe, stay for a brilliant piece of live theatre, get your coats on and go see this!

 

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‘1457, The Boy at Rest’ (Venue 17, until AUG 24th)

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews, 5*, Theatre by

“This was my first experience of Korean national theatre and I am left wanting more! More! MORE”

Editorial Rating: 5 Stars (Outstanding)

The story of the 15th-century Korean boy King Danjong has been told and retold down the ages. A child, too young to govern. An uncle, too ambitious not to seize the throne. A devoted wife, doomed to a lifetime of regret.

We enter to find that some of the most elegant and effective set dressings anywhere this EdFringe have transformed one of the University’s more functional lecture spaces into a sensual backdrop perfectly attuned to the pansori-style session of storytelling about to unfold. Contemporary pansori has been described as the sound of han – the sound of that uniquely Korean form of grief and sorrow. The genius of this production lies in what has been built on that melancholy foundation. Here is a production that is vibrant, laugh-out-loud funny, as well as poignant and thought-provoking. Three goblins (dokkaebi) act as our chorus, framing the narrative with puckish light-heartedness and head-shaking regret at what fools these mortals be.

Thanks to an ultra-contemporary byeokgeori / backdrop displaying colour-coded subtitles, nothing is lost in translation. Sitting in the back row of the theatre, I found the blending of live performance and visual tech aides fairly seamless, although those up front in the spit zone might feel differently. Pansori’s focus on emotional depth, singable narrative arcs, and traditional drum-based accompaniment were delivered by the bucketload by a company of stellar performers who hit all the high notes while also being accessible and (most importantly) really chuffing entertaining. The dokkaebi stole the show with their mix of clown and frown but there were also flashes of pure brilliance from across the company.

This was my first experience of Korean national theatre and I am left wanting more! More! MORE! Drawing on 5,000 years of history, troubled by outsiders, this production is a perfect showcase of national feeling, talent, and identity. Come for the spectacle, stay for the masterclass in professional stagecraft, get your durumagi on and go see this!

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EdFringe Talk: Accidental Baby

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“It’s not just improv—it’s invitation.”

WHO: Alexander Cabana and Radostina Peteva

WHAT: “Get ready for laughs you didn’t plan for… The improv comedy show nobody meant to happen, but now you can’t live without! A night of off-the-cuff chaos where scenes are born on the spot, characters spiral out of control, and the only thing you can expect… is the unexpected. Accidental Baby delivers wild, unscripted fun that’ll leave you asking: “Wait… was that planned?” (It wasn’t.). Fuelled by audience suggestions and questionable wisdom, Accidental Baby is like couples therapy… if your therapists were hilarious, unlicensed and possibly drunk. Warning, you may leave pregnant.”

WHERE: Snug at Paradise in Augustines (Venue 152) 

WHEN: 21:45 (55 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

If, by some cosmic sleight, Edinburgh Fringe were to vanish during August, the planet’s artistic pulse would stutter. Such is the density of genius, the saturation of talent that flows through its cobblestone veins during festival season.

Accidental Baby made its debut in 2024 with a sold-out one-week run… largely because they only booked it for one week. This year, emboldened by actual audience enthusiasm, we’ve doubled down with a two-week slot. If the crowds come back again, there’s talk of doing a full run in 2026—though no promises; it depends on stamina, funding, and how many pints of beer we can consume without emotional collapse.

Back in the saddle are we, Radostina Peteva—equal parts comedic genius and chaos wrangler—and stand up comedian and improvisor extraordinaire Alexander Cabana, who’s also back with a new hour of his solo stand-up show “Vulnerable White Passing Male”.

Being both producer and performer is like being your own overworked wedding planner and also the bride with spinach in her teeth—simultaneously architect of the ceremony and flailing center of attention. With Accidental Baby, we are two brides with lipstick on their teeth, begging for the audiences to point it out, because that means they are alive!

When audiences are responsive, adventurous, and slightly buzzed, everything feels electric. A festival thrives when people show up curious, not just because it’s raining.

Their whole show is a dare wrapped in a wink: “Notice us. Notice everything. Even the smudge.”

In their world, the laughter comes not from perfection, but from the shared delight of catching the imperfection together. It’s not just improv—it’s invitation. They aren’t aiming to fool you with polish; they’re begging you to join them in the mess!

So if you are gloriously unhinged, Accidental Baby is your spiritual home. Go. Sit in the front. Laugh too loud. Seriously—Accidental Baby is the show where your emotional baggage gets a standing ovation. Do Not Miss It!

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2024 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

We discovered that connection matters far more than perfection—if the audience laughs with us when we drop a prop, we call it a win—and that a show’s story is its currency, sharpened until we can pitch it between traffic light changes. We learned to embrace serendipity, because the person you chat to in the chip queue might become your next booking.

We learned that radical self-reliance isn’t optional—you’re not just the performer, you’re the producer, the usher, the tech guy, the marketer, accountant, and occasionally the person fixing the stage after the last act. Adaptability became our second nature; one night we are in a theatre with perfect lighting, the next we’re competing with a smoothie blender, broken AC system and fan noise.

Other acts turned out to be allies, or rather therapists. We are in this grinder together, and remember that every day is a great day to have a great day!

We’ve absorbed these lessons the same way you absorb Fringe rain—at first you think you can dodge it, then you accept you’re drenched, and eventually you start wondering if you’ve developed gills.

Tell us about your show.

We are married. The show isn’t written. It’s a fully improvised long form comedic performance based on audience interaction. The questions we ask and stories we tell come from the conversations we have in real time.

Our show is about relationships—think of it as unqualified therapy with a very qualified sense of humour. We are two people with just enough relationship experience to be dangerous, and a willingness to hand out advice like free biscuits. We’ve learned a ton about what makes a healthy relationship (mostly from doing the opposite first), and we’re both endlessly curious about the weird, wonderful ways people approach sex, love, and partnership. For us, every audience is a fresh case study—equal parts sociology, comedy, and emotional group hug—where the advice might be heartfelt, might be unhinged, but will definitely be entertaining.

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

We saw RED LIKE FRUIT, a show every person should see whether you are dating, married or forever a rolling stone. It’s about relationship trauma and memory. Moscovitch’s writing is bold and unapologetic. https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/red-like-fruit

https://www.instagram.com/2btheatre/

On a lighter note, we saw Breaking The Musical and snickered and giggled for one hour about the breakdancing Australian genius at the Paris Olympics! If you have a silly  and a gossip bone in your body, go see that show! https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/breaking-the-musical

https://www.instagram.com/stephbroadbridge/?hl=en

If you want to see something different and wild, and funny but profound, go see 1Shoulder Pad: Galaxy Train, Japanese Musical Theatre. Wow these guys are fun! Great comedic timing and absurdity! https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/1shoulder-pad-galaxy-train-japanese-musical-theatre

https://www.instagram.com/shika564dayo/

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EdFringe Talk: Ascension

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“The fringe is exhilarating but exhausting, and that you absolutely MUST have a good rest after it.”

WHO: Dan Hazelwood

WHAT: “After a successful run at the Edinburgh Fringe 2024 and sold-out performances at Greenwich Theatre, Ascension returns for Edinburgh Fringe 2025. Ascension is based on the 300-year-old diary of Dutch sailor Leendert Hasenbosch, who was marooned on Ascension Island in 1725 for the crime of sodomy. Isolated and surrounded only by barren rock and endless ocean, he fought to survive. He was, however, pursued ashore by his personal demons. This bold and inventive adaptation reclaims his story for the 21st century, exploring queer identity, the weaponisation of religion and the resilience to love ourselves in a sometimes unforgiving world.”

WHERE: Theatre at Bedlam Theatre (Venue 49) 

WHEN: 14:00 (55 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

I first came to Edinburgh Fringe for a few days after graduating from drama school in 2017, renting a beanbag on the living room floor of another artist’s airbnb for £10 a night. I saw shows from morning until night, eventually giving up late every night – keen to see more but knowing that even if it was a 5 star show I would be too tired and too grumpy to enjoy it. I had no money at the time so hitch-hiked home to Birmingham, stopping overnight in Yorkshire where I was dropped off at my friend’s front door by a neighbour she had never met. I also got to ride in a lorry for the first time which was fun.

I’ve been hooked ever since. Being a punter vs being a performer are different flavours of chaos, but equally addictive.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2024 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

I’ve learned that the fringe is exhilarating but exhausting, and that you absolutely MUST have a good rest after it. I’ve completely ignored my own advice and I’m straight back into work with no hope of rest until October. Maybe next year I’ll heed my own words?

Last year, I obsessed over ticket sales last year, constantly refreshing in hopes of seeing one more ticket sold. It’s a nice adrenaline boost when it does happen, but this year I have set times when I check sales and leave it alone the rest of the time. It’s better for the brain. Paint drying, kettle boiling, etc, etc.

Tell us about your show.

Ascension is based on the real life diaries of an 18th century Dutch castaway on Ascension Island, or should I say the translations of his long lost diary. This makes the question of who wrote Ascension a bit of a complicated one to answer. Leendert (or Lee as I like to call him) wrote the original diary, then multiple translators wrote their translations, and I have adapted all of the above. There is a lot of my original writing in the play, some of which is based on my own life (Lee’s first kiss is based on my own) but the script also contains a lot of diary extracts. It’s probably more accurate to say I’m a curator of the play as a whole, and the writer of a good chunk of it.

I’m producing it myself, and I’m very lucky to be joined by very talented creatives in every area of the production who I trust entirely. They have made the show very special and much easier for me!

We premiered at Edinburgh Fringe 2024, and following our 2025 stint here, we’ll be doing a performance in London for the 300 year anniversary of Lee’s death. Following that, I’m hoping to tour it around the UK and maybe even further afield!

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

For lovingly crafted idiocy, you’ve got to check out The Fit Prince (full title on the link below!) at Pleasance Courtyard by Awkward Productions, the hottest power couple of EdFringe! If you’ve ever seen a hallmark Christmas movie, you’ll love this:
https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/the-fit-prince-who-gets-switched-on-the-square-in-the-frosty-castle-the-night-before-insert-public-holiday-here

You also must see “I Was Dancing in the Lesbian Bar” by Holly Redford Jones. Very funny, great music, and beautifully moving. It’s the only lesbian bar in Edinburgh, open for one hour a day at Underbelly Cowgate: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/i-was-dancing-in-the-lesbian-bar

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‘Homo(sapien)’ (Venue 139, until AUG 24th)

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, 5*, Rated: Outstanding, Theatre by

“Here is a journey of self-discovery told with a fierce and memorable candour.”

Editorial Rating: 5 Stars (Outstanding)

There’s nothing in the world that’s better than a bit of good auld-fashioned Irish storytelling. The pace, the charm, the wit, the insight of honest-to-goodness craic done right cannot be beat. In Conor O’Dwyer’s debut play we meet Joey a neurotic mess of Catholic guilt and internalised homophobia. Joey is a Bad Gay™ (or so he thinks) because he’s never had sex with a dude and that’s the most important thing about being gay (right?).

Here is a journey of self-discovery told with a fierce and memorable candour. We enter to find a cross bedecked with flowers. Religion and religiousity are at the heart of this story about the Emerald Isle’s struggle for a modern rainbow identity and the seeming irreconcilability of traditional values and the universal truth that love is love. We grow-up with Joey. We experience his profound uncertainty and fear even in the midst of a largely supportive and loving community more at ease with who Joey is than he is.

As Saint John of Lennon wrote, “Life’s what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” Joey’s life story is a hodgepodge of misadventures and missed adventures. For all that not a lot actually happens the pace of this piece is second to none. This is a small tall tale that will resonate with anyone who has been left wondering if they spend too much time wondering. It’s an affirmation of the good in all of us, especially when we find the confidence to unclentch and be our trueselves.

O’Dwyer’s performance is brilliant. From the second he races onto the stage through to the final moments in which the clouds of existential crisis part. Each comic twist and dramatic turn of this cleverly crafted monodramatic melodrama is a masterclass in audience engagement. Come for the fabulousness, stay for the fabulous universality, get your coats on and go see this!

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‘Samia Rida: Kidnap’ (Venue 24, until AUG 10th)

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, 5*, Rated: Outstanding, Theatre by

“A deeply personal piece of storytelling, a superb storyteller, and a story that deserves to be heard and heard again.”

Editorial Rating: 5 Stars (Outstanding)

Samia Rida is possibly, probably, almost certainly the most important voice you’ll hear this EdFringe. The youngest of four siblings, it became obvious early on that Samia had a knack for caring for her seriously disabled aulder brother. From a very early age, Samia was taking charge at bath and bedtime and all the rest. Like so many unseen little ones, Samia’s own childhood was profoundly impacted by the needs of another. Caring is really hard. It’s relentless. The other person’s needs are always the priority, catered to day and night, rain or shine, under the unforgiving, uncomprehending, and too often unsympathetic gaze of folks without a Scooby Doo of the daily reality as it is really lived.

To add complexity to chaos, Samia is the unquietly proud possessor of a lifelong identity crisis brought on by the clashing of parental cultures. With a Welsh mother and a Saudi father, Samia has skin in the game when it comes to the big questions of multiculturalism as it is lived from within rather than judged from without.

The former River City actress takes to the stage like a hurricane takes to a shanty town. Here is an uncompromising, deeply personal perspective which blows away the preconceptions and peculiarities of today’s mainstream focus on the actualisation of individuality as the summit of human achievement. The story centres on the messy separation of Samia’s parents, in particular her being kidnapped to Saudi Arabia by her father – a chain of events which received quite the flurry of press attention back in the day.

Having felt alienated in West London, Samia tells of being entirely all at sea in the gilded luxury of the much more traditional society. Again, Samia is uncompromising with her truth, but speaks fondly of the hosts of uncles, aunts, staff and retainers who populated this strange chapter in her life. The three most definitely not GIPers spookily assessing the show’s political messaging for Riyadh seem content with Samia’s largely positive picture of well-to-do family life in The Kingdom. The hacksaws won’t be needed tonight.

Here is a great wee EdFringe find. A deeply personal piece of storytelling, a superb storyteller, and a story that deserves to be heard and heard again. The message is one that will resonate with anyone who has put (or is putting) their life on hold for another, anyone who has been caught up in the breakdown of their parents’ relationship, anyone with a taste for the potent and profound. Here is a unique voice telling truths that are not heard nearly enough. Come for the all-too-human drama, stay for the belly laughs, get your leak and dragon patterned bishts on and go see this!

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‘The Spy Who Went to Rehab’ (Venue 23, until AUG 25th)

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

“This is McShane at his laser-guided, prince of precision comedy best. It is, quite simply, a perfect performance.”

Editorial Rating: 4 Stars (Outstanding)

Can the world’s greatest secret agent detox from his toxic masculinity? That is the premise of Gregg Ostrin’s superbly farcical play. Simon Cross is not afraid of anything. He’s been tied naked to the back of a crocodile, lived and let died more times than you’ve had unstirred martinis. Now he is facing his greatest challenge yet – his own journey into self-awareness.

This is a clever tribute to the genre – we know the name, we’ve got his number. Satiar Pourvasei as Cross is bang on target – landing on that part of the James Bond spectrum somewhere between the totally deadpan Lazenby and the tongue-in-cheek absurdity of Roger Moore. Pourvasei’s individual connections with the other members of his therapy group fizz and crackle, making Greg Ostrin’s bonkers script seem almost plausible… just for a moment.

Cross is an unreal amalgamation of fantasy and pathos. He’s a character who could stand alone as a one-hander character study. But, then again, every good superspy needs a great supervillain for counterpoint. As Lazarus Rex, Cross’ arch-nemesis, Fringe Legend Mike McShane delivers the goods, especially if you are in the market for an evil genius with attachment issues – even his white Persian cat has moved on and joined the yowling choir invisible. This is McShane at his laser-guided, prince of precision comedy best. It is, quite simply, a perfect performance.

There’s no escaping the problems with this production. Sightlines that just aren’t working, clunky gunfights, sluggish scene changes. There’s a great production in this vintage, but it needs to mature and clarify to become the exceptional dram of profound silliness it could be.

This is a laugh-out-loud yet loving tribute to a cherished oeuvre. Come for the authenticity. Stay for two of the best comic performances you’ll see anywhere this Fringe. Get your white tuxedo jackets on and go see this!

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