Reviews

‘taut, tightly directed and choreographed and strongly acted, but the star is a near 30-year-old script’ ★★★★★ It’s not often you walk out of a show wondering if they have tickets for the next night and the rest of a sadly brief run. If they do for Tape, get them quick before it goes because this is some of the most powerful, focused, thoughtful, painful theatre on the fringe right now. It’s also a prime example of how a perfect script underpins any five-star performance. The show is taut, tightly directed and choreographed and strongly acted, but the star is a near 30-year-old script whose dialogue sizzles as its three characters navigate an eternal love-hate triangle Jon (Nick Chinn) is a film-maker on the verge of his big break, a first showing of his movie at a regional film festival. To town has come Vince (Paul Kelvin), ostensibly to celebrate his oldest friend’s success, but himself a struggling fire-fighter and drug addict whose current girlfriend has just left him. At first, their meeting in Vince’s dingy motel room is all catch-up and beer-sogged nostalgia. Until the conversation turns to Amy, Vince’s girlfriend 10 years ago when they were all in High School, who, after she left him, slept one fateful night with Jon. And since Amy (Brittany Rex) now lives in the town where the movie festival is happening, why not give her a call? Without giving spoilers, this is a real-time hour of ever-ratcheting tension as memories, perceptions and interpretations of the events that happened to the three of them 10 years ago are unravelled, re-ravelled, never quite fully revealed. The play’s themes, like any brilliant script’s, are too many to summarise, but the nature of friendship, particularly male friendship, the relations of boys and girls to the grown men and women they become, the unreliability of anyone’s memory of or personal perception of a key event at which others were present or of which they have heard glimmer throughout. All of which sounds a bit theoretical but is delivered in razor-sharp, rapid-fire dialogue that tells its story precisely but obliquely and shifts audience perceptions of what they have seen and heard as the short play proceeds. Performances are uniformly good: Vince is twitch nervy, potentially dangerous from the first second, Chinn increasingly sweaty and nervous as his brittle confidence evaporates, and Rex shifts from vulnerability to strength both for real and almost at will as she, now a Deputy District Attorney, increasingly takes control of what’s unfolding. The tight space of the Lion and Unicorn helps raise the tension, the two men prowling the space for the first half and more of the play, sharing, competing, eventually fighting for control before the woman’s arrival changes the dynamic entirely. These are three people who have loved each other in varying degree and may hate or at least mistrust each other now – no longer perhaps likely to have become the friends their younger, inexperienced selves were. The hour flies by, a joy to the eye and especially the ear as the dialogue does its ambiguous work, and the conclusion comes all too soon. The script’s dating shows (Enya, Jim Carrey and Home Alone are key references for these guys), but its age does not, since the themes of how men relate to women and to each other remain as universal now as they did three decades and more before Tape was first produced in New York. A gem. Catch it while you can. TAPE by Stephen Belber Directed by Jamiee Doyle for Cellar Door Theatre Lion and Unicorn, 11 to 15 August Part of Camden Fringe Festival Box Office: https://camdenfringe.com/events/tape/ Reviewer David Weir’s first novel The Honourable Member for Murder was published this month and a second in the Westminster Mysteries series will follow next year. His award-winning plays include Confessional (Oran Mor, Glasgow), Better Together (Jack Studio, Brockley, London), Murdering the Truth (Greenwich Theatre), The Normandy Conquests (Sussex Playwrights’ prize) and Legacy (Bruntwood prize longlist).

“If you can see them, do.” ★★★★★ Something different this time. The BBC’s Relaxed Prom, a show that had you in and out by Sunday lunchtime and that posed something of a conundrum. How can you effectively critique sincere public expressions of joy? I’m taking what I suppose you could call the simple route. It was marvellous. The concept of the Relaxed Prom does what it says on the Timpani. An ‘informal’ matinee, there is no dress code (good, it’s too warm) and from the beginning, patrons are told that they are welcome to get up and move around as needed, that bathroom breaks will remain un-tutted. But that sells it short, because what this ‘relaxation’ means in real terms is that the event is spectacularly family friendly, and a large proportion of the audience were parents with young children. Which leads onto the joy bit. The audience truly gave back what the organisers put in and the room was filled with a kind of casual happiness that stemmed from appreciation of music at the deepest, most fundamental level. The floor was cleared of chairs and became perhaps the world’s most wholesome mosh pit, as families danced along to the beat. The music itself was perfectly curated, a choice selection that took in a variety of styles and eras but posed no problems for the Fantasia Orchestra and BBC Singers, whose genre-blurring talent was quite, quite brilliant. The choice to bookend proceedings with some swing classics by Louis Prima and Duke Ellington won everyone over and fit within the event’s Transatlantic theme, celebrating the 250 th anniversary of America’s Declaration of Independence. And then a Radiohead cover, so poignant and full of xylophonic splendour it had the person beside me in tears from the first bar. Messrs Yorke and Greenwood et al would’ve been proud. Given that it was the Proms, there had to be at least a little Vaughan Williams, although ascending larks were swapped out for the deeply moving Serenade to Music, which the running order tells me lasted a full fourteen minutes, but which seemed to end far too soon. Special mention must also go to the performance of Meredith Monk’s Panda Chant, a piece based principally on vowel noises, humming, and some impressive footwork from the orchestra themselves, who put down their instruments to stomp and chant with the Singers. While the word “Panda” shouted repeatedly by a grinning crowd could prove menacing at a bus stop, in the Royal Albert Hall, it just seemed right. Conductor Tom Fetherstonhaugh (who founded the Fantasia in 2016 – while still at school) sparkled, guiding the audience through a layered and deeply rewarding setlist. He deserves considerable credit, as does the orchestra generally, for championing young musicians from across the UK. YolanDa Brown excelled as presenter, interspersing songs with a series of warm and enjoyable ‘I’ll introduce the band throughout the rest of the evening’ style chats with the conductor and orchestra members. It was wonderful to see the musicians themselves given time to discuss their work and only furthered the idea of widening participation. Your reviewer couldn’t shake a misty-eyed thought about the effect these efforts would have on the young, potential virtuosos in the room. Overall, everyone involved created something that retained an essential Promsiness™ while being genuinely welcoming, open and warm-hearted. I didn’t quite join my lachrymose neighbour in the waterworks, but it was close. If you can see them, do. Fantasia Orchestra website https://www.fantasiaorchestra.com/stories/fantasia-orchestra-returns-to-the-bbc-proms-in-our-tenth-anniversary-year

‘the show has charm’ ★★★ ADHD, or to give it its full title Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is here broken into two to represent sisters who are very different to each other. Bea, the older sister, moved abroad two years ago and now she’s back. Having ditched her job in finance, she’s intent on following her dream of becoming a gymnastics coach. The younger Alice, by contrast has already had her dream job, as a clothes designer but her latest collection has failed, so she’s jumped away from that into administrative role. At first Alice isn’t happy with her sister’s return but in the course of the play, they reconnect and find that sisterly love is not dead, instead the support that they both need is reciprocated. Perhaps as the title of the show suggested, an in-depth analysis of ADHD might have been expected, but it does attempt to show that one sister is inattentive and the other hyperactive. It pans out as more of a study into sibling resentments and ultimately love and support. Sara Bei, who also wrote the show, plays the role of gymnast Bea. Quite a nice touch is that she also performs some floor gymnastics, a wonderful demonstration of her skill. The show certainly has charm and an hour in their company passes quickly but the dynamics aren’t sharp enough and the stakes are a little too ordinary for this show to stand out in a crowd. Bruniswann Theatre Company present ADvsHD by Sara Bei at Rosemary Branch Theatre 8 – 12 August 2026 Part of Camden Fringe BOX OFFICE https://camdenfringe.com/events/advshd/

 “While refreshing, it was hard to see the motivation for the update to the 1960s.” ★★★ It is rare to see opera on the fringe and Opera Kipling’s production of Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville” certainly delivered on its aim to present an accessible reimagining of the work to UK audiences. Accompanied by musical director Giannis Giannopoulos on the keyboard, the cast delivered a technically brilliant and stripped-down version of Rossini’s dynamic score. Seville has become the swinging 1960s, as lovers Rosina (Laura Curry) and Almaviva/Lindoro (Robert Tilson), with the help of the fast-talking “barber of quality” Figaro (Alexander Jones), try to outsmart Rosina’s ward Don Bartolo (Massimo Modoni). The first act hints at the world of the past, with Rosina costumed in a Snow White like dress. But as chaos ensues and the notary Don Basilio (Geoff Clapham) falls into a drug-induced trip, we are treated to colourful flashing lights and costume changes now fully reminiscent of the youth movements of the 60s. Rosina, now in a 1960s mini dress and with her hair in a beehive, is finally united with the popstar Almaviva. While a refreshing attempt, it was hard to see the motivation for the update of the setting of the production, especially in the first act. The connection between the restlessness of the 60s and that of the two young lovers resisting the elder Bartolo could have used the additional support of references to the political and historical events of the time period. Though overall innovative with this company’s (truly admirable) ability to show us what opera, at its core, is, we are left asking why this particular production, in this particular place, now. The Barber of Seville (Opera Kipling), Upstairs at the Gatehouse, 7-9 August/31 August 2026 Tickets: £18/£16 (conc.) Tickets are available from Camden Fringe or the venues direct: Camden Fringe: https://camdenfringe.com/events/the-barber-of-seville/ Upstairs at the Gatehouse: https://upstairsatthegatehouse.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows Rottingdean Arts: https://rottingdeanarts.org.uk/ Opera Kipling were formed in 2019, by young professionals to bring accessible up-close Opera to audiences across the UK.

‘Virtuoso, cello and violin, soul and R&B in the intimate setting of Hen & Chickens Theatre.’ ★★★★★ Central Standard Theatre bring us a one-hour performances of classical & contemporary soul and R&B. Virtuoso performances from Tina Bilberry (K’Tina) on violin and Robert McNichols, Jr. (RMJ Music) on Cella with Desmond Mason (D Dot Prof) on keyboard, a trio of Kansas City’s best. It’s a long way to come to perform in a small pub theatre at London’s Camden Fringe, but the producer explains informally, that it’s a third of the price of taking work to Edinburgh Fringe. The company are here annually to bring some Kansas City culture to the UK, and we are immensely grateful to have them. The excellent sound is electronic, and The Hen and Chickens studio theatre is filled with melody, rich and full, with an exploration of numbers that move from jazz to soul, to R&B. Much of the music is classical & contemporary. Bilberry riffs on her violin, taking the instrument into the brilliant highest notes and the lower notes, rich, clear and resonant with warmth. As performers the pair have a great rapport, they are audience facing and soon get the audience clapping hands, on their feet dancing and generally make sure that it is an immersive experience for all. McNichols on cello is also a baritone vocalist and occasionally gives a smattering of his voice, but not enough! (Small complaint here). It was largely instrumental which included some well-known numbers which had one or two in the audience singing along. McNichols and Bilberry are top tier performers, with both having credits which include Bilberry performing internationally, and McNichols playing Cello for performances in Kansas of the Wizard of Oz. His other credits include a lecture recital in collaboration with Carnegie Hall and the Black Speculative Arts Movement in Harlem, and portraying Bob in highlights of William Grant Still’s Highway 1, USA at Spelman College. He is also the 2023 winner of Pick of the Fringe Award at the Bedford (UK) Fringe Festival for his one-man show about Paul Robeson. The list goes on. So, we’re privileged to catch them here in this small and intimate venue, their astonishing performances, which included a wonderful sense of romance, with McNichols, dropping down on his knees, cello in hand to serenade Bilberry in a touching moment of spontaneity (okay, it might have been rehearsed, but it felt real). Finally, let’s not forget Mason on keyboards, a vital component, he also had his well-deserved moment in the spotlight. Not the star of the show but essential to its success. For anyone who loves electronic sounds, soul and R&B, this is not to be missed. Catch them at Hen and Chickens in Islington or check out their website for further information. Central Standard Theatre Present BEATS + STRINGS: SOUL RENAISSANCE Hen & Chickens Theatre Part of Camden Fringe Festival 2026 9 - 14 August 2026 Tickets £10-12 BOX OFFICE https://camdenfringe.com/events/beats-strings-soul-renaissance/ Website: https://www.cstkc.com/

‘Highly original and absorbing one woman show’ ★★★★ It’s relatively common, that amongst friends and acquaintances, one party can start to believe that the relationship is much stronger than it is. Sometimes this escalates, like those stories in the news about a person who is having a problem with a stalker, but what about the other side? How does someone become so obsessed, and at what point does the self-delusion kick in? This highly original one person show, written and performed by Boo Jackson, goes a long way to enlightening us and showing that maybe, there’s a little stalker in all of us, or at least a tendency to delude ourselves. We always hope that we wouldn’t take an obsession to the extremes of the character being portrayed here, but Jackson has made her subject very real. It is easy to go on the journey with her and to care about her story. It’s hard to write a review without giving the whole plot away and this would be a shame, because part of the charm of the show is that anyone with any curiosity, must want to know how things pan out. It has a very satisfying plot, starting with a discussion of faith and this keeps returning throughout the show which gives more depth by asking a fundamental question. It is answered, to some degree, at the end of the show, but you’ll have to see it to fully appreciate the outcome. It is certainly no strain to watch Jackson as she is very personable, with excellent direction from James Wren, there is a stillness. This makes a change from frenetic shows blasted at us (reminding us of supposed low attention spans and the need to be constantly bombarded with effects and speedy dialogue). Whilst there is plenty of action, it is carefully considered. I don’t recall any sound at all, the story-telling is rich enough without it, but the lighting design, which is understated and sparsely used, provides an essential highlight. It allows an illusion at one point in the show, purely based on what is in our heads to create what might, in a high-budget production, be part of a bathroom. It all ties into a refrain in Jackson’s show of holding breath under water. The show is not without humour, and those lighter moments feel shared with other audience members, unusually there is time to think during this production and to make some thoughts of our own. This kind of theatre is rare, isn’t it? Sometimes we’re being told what to think and sometimes we’re playing catch up or struggling with blurred lines. So, it’s a pleasure to be given a show which has clarity and a leisurely pace. IF NOT ME at The Hen and Chickens Theatre 7 – 9 August 3pm 2026 Part of Camden Fringe BOX OFFICE https://camdenfringe.com/events/if-not-me/ Produced by Unrestricted View & The Hatchery Performed and written by Boo Jackson Directed by James Wren

‘A horror-comedy well-balanced at times, though ultimately too difficult to engage with.’ ★★ ‘If God were British, there wouldn’t be a judgment day, there’d be an eternal inquiry’, says The Maniac, in Accidental Death of an Anarchist, mocking the efforts of the police to replace a spiritual understanding with bureaucratic red-tape. The cast of Mackie Reyes’ Grave Matters attack this idea in a succinct 45 minute horror-comedy, exploring the heavy weight of ancestral tradition, but the crowded production ultimately fails to address this. The production opens in the aftermath of a strange crime. The accused (Miss Y, Mackie Reyes) is transported to a sterile police station, where a ‘good cop, bad cop’ duo attempt to process her spiritual motivations. Throughout this, Miss Y battles to maintain a connection with the divine and the audience through asides, an escape from the atmosphere of the police station, asking God ‘what would you say if you were me?’ The police characters are balanced well against Miss Y, and the cast are able to create the necessary tension to get the play going. I don’t believe that the structure of the play does the concepts justice, as these asides come and go unnaturally, combining too many unconnected elements to be coherent. The play approaches some really interesting themes but doesn’t give itself enough time to develop them fully, leaving a collection of unresolved concepts that don’t give the final scene any weight. While Reyes is able to balance dark humour with genuine suspense at times, the show is thematically undefined and difficult to engage with. As ghost/horror stories find more attention on our stages, I’d love to see how Reyes’ story develops. Coatlicue Theatre present GRAVE MATTERS by Mackie Reyes at Lion & Unicorn Theatre 3 – 6 August 2026 Directed by Megan Brewer Part of Camden Fringe BOX OFFICE https://camdenfringe.com/events/grave-matters/ Cast: Mackie Reyes, James Schilling, Bedwyr Bowen, Marnie Yule Lighting designer: Daisy Harwick

“Audience members will not soon forget Dünyada or its incredible soundtrack” ★★★ For one week only, acclaimed Turkish actor Mehmet Ali Nuroğlu brings his innovative, 70-minute solo show Dünyada to The Cockpit Theatre as part of The Camden Fringe. Dünyada comes to London following a series of performances in Turkey, and the global nature of the play is reflected in its title, a Turkish word that roughly translates to “in the world.” D ünyada reimagines the monologue Title and Deed , of the same length, written and performed by American playwright Will Eno in 2012. Nuroğlu keeps the original script on stage with him, occasionally flipping through the pages – deciding which words and ideas to use, and which to abandon. Eno’s script opens with the line “I’m not from here,” as does Nuroğlu’s, but audiences need not be familiar with the source text to appreciate Nuroğlu’s work. In Dünyada, he does something unique, though the performance remains an exploration of being “not from here,” and the similarities and differences between people, etymology, and language. Dünyada is about the universality of the human experience, at the same time it is about disconnect, isolation, and the idea that we are all just a context-change away from being an outsider. Nuroğlu creates a distinct character so entirely embodied, it becomes impossible to separate from the man on stage. At the same time, he holds a video camera to the audience and himself, handling his own camerawork and cinematography, in real time. These visual elements provide clear commentaries on surveillance and the contemporary need to reinforce identity via media. Nuroğlu’s live and experimental camera-work is perhaps the most stand-out part of the play. His use of an on-stage loop machine, by contrast, is impressive, but less thematically clear. The most standout visual and audio moments involve the use of unremarkable objects to create unexpected and moving effects. At one point, Nuroğlu uses paper and ambient sounds to create the effect of a rainstorm. In another particularly poignant moment, he captures the exact right blur of the theatre lighting to create the illusion of snow. When Nuroğlu turns the camera on himself, his commentary is incisive; he implicates both himself and his audience’s gaze. The camera lens becomes more problematic when turned on individual audience members. On the one hand, it’s a very clever trick. Nuroğlu uses the faces of particular audience members to represent the characters absent on stage. He returns to the same two people to represent “mother” and “father.” While the website references this interaction, there is no way for audience members to opt-out. Though certain attendees may enjoy on-stage reflection, the camera lingered on some faces long enough to detect discomfort. This became increasingly distracting, but could’ve been easily mitigated with a non-participation section or by keeping the camera just on audience members’ eyes. D ünayda comes to The Cockpit following upwards of twenty performances in Turkey. Much like its subject matter, the piece translates across languages and cultures because the human experience is both vast and singular. For this reason, it also changes dramatically based on cultural context. With only this viewing experience, the play seemed to be about the experience of being “not home” but, specifically, abroad – the monologue opens with descriptions of airport lines and passport control. The subtext that comes up in a London venue undoubtedly differs dramatically from the performances in Istanbul, though I cannot speak from personal experience. Audience members will not soon forget Dünyada or its incredible soundtrack – a mix of Turkish R&B. Though the piece never totally finds its footing, Nuroğlu’s performance is undeniable. In just 70-minutes he creates an entire multi-media experience full of thoughtfulness and dry comedy. D ünyada is on at The Cockpit through to 9 August. Information and tickets are available at https://www.thecockpit.org.uk/show/d%C3%BCnyada .

‘this toxic lads play pans out as a mystery in which secrets are teased out’ ★★★★ Reunions are often fraught with difficulties, often bringing together people whose friendships are broken and relatives who don’t like each other. The Lads Play brings together four childhood friends in a pub, post the funeral of the brother of one of their number. Their heavy drinking is observed and their conversation overheard by the barmaid, playing a crucial role in calling out the loud and obnoxious behaviour of Martin, but all is not as it seems. The play pans out as a kind of mystery, we know some hidden secret between the friends is being teased out, but we have to wait until the end to get the whole story. Along the way, we meet four guys who are all in some sense the victims of toxic masculinity. They don’t talk about personal issues, instead the banter is destructive and cruel. The beers keep coming, throughout the evening, adding to the sense of being out of control and following the rules of laddishness. Everyone must drink pints, and buy a round, or two, or three. Of course, they aren’t the only victims, and the play aims to show how this behaviour can be dangerous for women, resulting in females not being safe around men. It is a noble ambition and more plays like this could address a social problem, one of blame and one of behaviour. You have to see the play to fully grasp the issue being raised. The writing is sharp and the acting is on point. A clever device which tells us more about the characters is the moment when, (spoiler alert), Donnie comes out as gay, when pressed by Martin, eliciting a lot more sympathy from him than he expected. One to one, these same men can show the mettle they are made of, and it is not always as it appears on the surface. Of course, that moment in the play, allows the audience to guess that it is another one of the men (rather than Martin) who is the culprit of the piece. The production is skilfully performed, with props mainly consisting of beers, in quite large numbers, these are cleverly recycled during a brief scene change, in the blink of an eye. Some rising of tempers between the characters is handled well by the director, keeping it carefully controlled, it has the look and feel of a long rehearsal period. They are all in command of their material. If an evening out with the lads, seems not too attractive, then those quiet moments when some of them revealed more of themselves, are spotlighted. This lighting effect was much needed to ring the changes and to give more variety to the play which can feel a little one note. It is a drama with little comedic moments. Could there be more fun moments amongst these mates? Lads have plenty of wise cracks and the ribbing isn’t always toxic, or did I just miss those moments? Yes, I think it needs more comedic moment within the 55 minutes which would give even more of a gut punch to the final scenes. THE LADS PLAYS at The Hen and Chickens Theatre 4 – 6 August Part of Camden Fringe BOX OFFICE https://camdenfringe.com/events/the-lads-play/ CREATIVE TEAM Writer / Creator: Tim Charles Director: Matt Palliser-Kehoe CAST (Simon) Brian Raftery, (Martin) Andrew Cusack, (Jake) James Treacy, (Donnie) David Watters, (Susan) Sorcha Morgan Image: Matt Palliser-Kehoe on the left performing alongside Brian Raftery Right (Photographer: Zoë Birkbeck)