Edinburgh Fringe Reviews 2026 – Long Way Home, Buggers, The Librarians: A Very Serious Comedy!, An A to Z Guide to Dating, Evaldas Karosas: A Very Capable Man, and 44 Minutes

Posted on August 9, 2026 by therealchrisparkle

Long Way Home, Gilded Balloon Patter House.

From the first sentence you’re completely hooked by Layla Warren’s true, inspiring tale of survival, from an early childhood in war-torn Tehran to fleeing to London, a family upheaval to Virginia, back to London and then to Los Angeles. Long Way Home is a story of resourcefulness against the odds, the need for constant flexibility and always reaching for the stars, whilst never losing sight of the pull of home and family. Layla is a riveting storyteller, with a perfectly paced and constructed narrative that leaves you hanging on her every word. She has an extraordinary ability to draw you into her confidence and her insights, so that within minutes the whole audience is on her side – we are all “Team Layla”. And although it is a story of survival, there’s an overriding acceptance that safety is never guaranteed and that everyone is only one hostile government’s step away from disaster. Governments never learn from their mistakes, but we must all carry on as best we can. A must-see.

Buggers, Pleasance Courtyard.

Alistair Hall’s engrossing and authoritative play, written with the consent of the Estate of painter Francis Bacon and after being given access to the Estate’s archives, concerns the relationship between the educated and wealthy Bacon and the charismatic petty criminal George Dyer, the “bit of rough” who became his artistic muse, through their intense, physical and toxic sexual partnership. Imaginative staging conveys both their alcohol-fuelled existence and their artistic creative process, whilst exposing the sadomasochism of their relationship. Rivetingly directed, the production boasts two heartfelt and honest performances by Alistair Hall as Bacon and Peter Clements as Dyer. If you don’t know the works of Bacon, this will make you want to discover them. A brave, thought-provoking and challenging production.

The Librarians: A Very Serious Comedy!, Pleasance Courtyard.

Cabbage Productions present a cunningly woven farce set in a failing rural library where the structure is crumbling and no one knows where the safe is. The previous Head Librarian has shuffled off this mortal coil leaving a power struggle in his wake – who will take over as the next Head Librarian and will they be able to keep this creaking old place going? And is there more behind the series of recent library closures… and who really is the Library Inspector? Well structured and with some extremely funny lines, the cast perform at a cracking pace and make the most of the comic opportunities. Not every joke lands, and occasionally it gets a little exasperating, but overall this is an entertaining show that just about stays on the right side of ludicrousness. Don’t run up any fines and definitely don’t have the Garibaldis!

An A to Z Guide to Dating, Underbelly George Square.

Grace is running late to start her new Fringe show, but fortunately her mother is here to watch it too. When Grace becomes a no-show, her mother decides to take over proceedings and present a potted, musical version of her own book An A – Z Guide to Dating. Sounds like a fun concept for a show, and Grace O’Keefe (it was her all the time, who knew!) is a likeable and confident presence on stage, but, sadly, the material just isn’t there. The songs are rather repetitive and she relies heavily on audience participation (in our show, the excellent Ruby and Tim) who actually provided most of the entertainment. Neither of us could understand what the show was trying to achieve and I’m afraid, despite Ms O’Keefe’s obvious talent and effort, this failed to hit the spot.

Evaldas Karosas: A Very Capable Man, Monkey Barrel at the Cabaret Voltaire.

37,000 people follow Evaldas Karosas on Instagram, so how come I hadn’t heard of him? I’m so glad that’s been rectified with his new show, A Very Capable Man, which is jam-packed full of original and devastatingly funny material, all delivered with a sprinkle of Lithuanian attitude and a brilliant feel for the comic cadences of the English language. Among his comedy nuggets he shared were the reasons men keep their emotions in, why they don’t have Pride marches in Lithuania, and why he fears men who have gone through a relationship break-up. He has a terrific stage presence, great connection with the audience and I didn’t want his hour to stop. A brilliant find – and he really ought to be huge in the comedy world. Can’t recommend him too strongly!

44 Minutes, Assembly Rooms.

Four men are thrown into a cage. They are all strangers, they don’t know why they are there. One of them can’t remember anything but screams in pain and anguish. Then comes an unseen voice: they have 44 minutes to decide which of the four men will die so that the others will live. But 17-year-old Lev Steinberg’s intriguing psychological thriller is not like the old-fashioned Balloon Parlour Game, where you have to choose which of the players will be thrown from the hot air balloon so that the others will survive. There are far more sinister plans afoot here and, unlike many other psychological thrillers, the explanation for it all is made crystal clear at the end. I’m not entirely sure the Sisyphus-like denouement entirely holds water, but tense, taut writing and four excellent performances from John Billinsgley, Dorian Missick, Christopher Ryan and Matthew Petrick make this a very watchable drama.

Edinburgh Fringe Reviews 2026 – Baby Everything, Jitters, A Cat in a Box, Copycat, We Had Fun, The Joker and the Thief, and Table for Two

Posted on August 8, 2026 by therealchrisparkle

Baby Everything, Summerhall.

Meet Baby. It’s her day off and she’s not going to waste it. Coffee with a friend, a visit to the art museum and an inspirational talk to attend. She has everything – including hypochondria, but best not think about that. That’s the framework for Lee Minora’s simply brilliant Baby Everything, a show that has so much to say about the state of the world (and especially the USA) that you wonder how she can cram it all into one hour without frustratingly just scraping the surface of each issue – but she achieves it, because of the show’s incredible structure, her comic inventiveness and an extraordinary performance that just knocks your socks off. I’ve rarely laughed so hard at 10:10am and the show’s truly positive and optimistic message means you come away from the show truly grateful for everything you have. Lee Minora is a powerhouse of fun, a tremendous communicator and surely a star in the making; and Baby Everything is one of the most accomplished shows I’ve ever seen at the Fringe – the perfect reason to set your Fringe alarm off early!

Jitters, Summerhall.

Everyone’s nervous on their wedding day, but maybe Charlotte has a bigger reason than most people. After all, she has Elle to contend with, her husband-to-be’s daughter; will she give them her blessing? Ellen Robertson’s Jitters pits two very different people with very different backgrounds against each other – will they find a common ground, or will they both have something to hide as the questions become trickier to answer? Beautifully, wittily written with a terrific feel for the comic awkwardness of conversation, and with two superb performances from Charly Clive as Charlotte, hilariously insensitive and delightfully shallow, and Ellen Robertson as Elle, struggling to come to terms with her preconceptions and jealousies. Simply directed by Emily Burns, letting the words and performances do all the magic. Very funny, very thoughtful – all in all, a stunning piece of work.

A Cat in a Box, TheSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall.
Tom Nemec tells his own story of his childhood and young adult years, from the olive drab house he always hated, to his older siblings with whom he had little in common, his mother whose only disciplinary tool was to hit you (with or without implements) and his drunkard father. Tom saw his life as though he were a cat in a box, tightly confined, prevented from running free and unable to find his own identity. Forty years after his father’s death, he’s finally ready to face his demons publicly and let it all out. Many Edinburgh Fringe shows consist of someone telling their own private story, and sometimes they can be a little on the dull side as the narrator falsely believes their story is more interesting than it is. But this is not the case with Tom Nemec, who speaks with such passion and conviction that you could almost be there every step of the way. An emotional, relatable, powerful tale beautifully told. Recommended!

Copycat, Pleasance Dome.

Joe Sellman-Leava was always a bit of an impressionist at school, doing his best to nail the voices and mannerisms of the teachers. Today he is a writer and creator, but he’s never forgotten the advice of Mr Swift – always remember to make eye contact: you can say a lot with your eyes without ever having to use your voice. Joe extends his observations to take in the growing developments in technology, specifically the rise of AI – should we be worried about it? We’ll all have our own opinions about that, and Joe can see his work opportunities being gobbled up by those greedy machines, giving us many alarming nuggets to take to heart and advice for fighting back against the dreaded AI. His trademark style with which he presented the excellent It’s The Economy Stupid continues here in Copycat, with this informal piece, which is part theatre, part lecture, part warning. A very engaging, fluid delivery, this is a very intense show with a whole lot of information coming at you, only some of which will stick. No matter what you take out of this show, you’ll come out of it feeling a whole lot more uneasy about AI.

We Had Fun, Summerhall.

Consent is such an important issue and any addition to the debate is always welcome. We Had Fun takes the on-off dating of Ela and Oscar and focuses on one significant evening when Ela needed an alcohol-fuelled escape from the bad news of being made redundant. But at the end of the evening, things went further between Oscar and Ela than she had intended – but had she given consent to Oscar’s actions, did he misinterpret them, or did he totally ignore her wishes just to satisfy himself? It’s a thought-provoking play; it’s gratifying that you get to see what actually happened between the two and can compare it with what both of them said had happened. It also very effectively shows how consent, which ought to be a very straightforward issue (no, after all, means no) is actually more complicated than one might think. Unfortunately it’s quite a messy production that gets sidetracked with a lot of unnecessary action as well as two largely unnecessary characters. It also feels about fifteen minutes too long. That said, the main performances by actors and writers Emmeline Hartley and Jack Mullings are very good and you’ll be discussing it for hours afterwards.

The Joker and the Thief, TheSpace Triplex.

Dylan and Will Theatre return to the Fringe after their remarkable Cody and Beau last year with The Joker and the Thief, the story of Sid and Larry, a comedy double-act who split up, one (Larry) to go on to superstar success, one (Sid) to end up playing a 20-seat cellar at the Fringe. It examines enduring friendship, despite intervening years of resentment and misunderstanding, and asks questions of trust, the nature of comedy and the definition of success. This year Dylan and Will are joined by Rufus Goodman as Larry’s wisecracking agent Howard, who seizes every opportunity in a nicely sleazy, villainous role. Will Grice’s Sid is a very believable characterisation of an old-school comic, showbizzily smarmy whilst deep down being pretty sad and desperate, and Dylan Kaeuper gives a smart turn as namedropping Larry, luxuriating in the fripperies of wealth. Unlike Cody and Beau, which was a play of delicate subtlety, this is more of a thigh-slapping rip-roarer of a show, as befits its larger-than-life characters. Watch out for an excellent comic three-way fight scene on a tiny carpet, choreographed and executed beautifully! Great fun, smartly written and with a satisfying conclusion.

Table for Two, TheSpace @ Surgeons’Hall.

One lucky member of the audience is going on a date with magician Jack Kenyon – could it be you? Some magic shows are packed with showbiz pizzazz, but others, like Table for Two, are a much more refined, gentler affair, where Jack tries to iron out where he’s going wrong with relationships by practising a few tricks with his new date for the evening. The date is chosen at random – it could be any member of the audience! A sequence of baffling card tricks and other games had me scratching my head in wonderment as to how Jack does it, and if you like your magic with a quieter, subtler edge, this show is for you!

Edinburgh Fringe Reviews 2026 – An Audience with Virginia Woolf: Writing One’s Mind, The Longer My Mother is Dead the More I Like Her, The Problem, Gareth Waugh: Is Pepsi OK?, Two Halves and SpinQueen

Posted on August 7, 2026 by therealchrisparkle

An Audience with Virginia Woolf: Writing One’s Mind, Assembly Rooms.

You too can have A Room of One’s Own – one where you decide the rules and what goes on there. That’s at least part of the message of Lucy Stevens’ intricate and engrossing play, an intelligent digest of Virginia Woolf’s work and life. Undoubtedly one of the great voices of 20th-century literature, Woolf has fascinated readers and academics over decades and Lucy Stevens gives a quietly authoritative performance as Virginia herself, constantly popping in and out of books as a kind of comfort blanket, reflecting on what motivated her and taking us through the most significant stages and mind-opening awakenings of her life. We learn about how she was sexually assaulted as a child, the achievement of “killing the Angel”, and how the move to Bloomsbury contributed to Woolf’s constant search for truth and identity. As a student, I desperately wanted to like Virginia Woolf’s works, but I always found them annoyingly difficult to read. However, this play made me not only want to revisit her works but also to find out more about her. Ms Stevens easily makes you believe Virginia Woolf is in the room with us! An elegant and literary start to the day.

The Longer My Mother is Dead the More I Like Her, Greenside @ George Street.
There’s an art to mother-management; most of us learn it the hard way. Deborah Unger’s relationship with her mum veers from the tetchy to the impossible, an atmosphere created from her earliest memories when she realised Mom wasn’t the cookie-baking, warm-hugging type of mother but the kind who keeps secrets and deliberately files away information as ammunition for the future. But Debbie doesn’t get it all her own way in this show, as dead Mom also gets to butt in with some observations and home truths. Structurally, it’s a confessional narrative, with daughter Debbie setting the pace, but Ms Unger really comes to life when giving us some of her mum’s unwelcome interruptions. There are some entertaining characterisations of the people in Debbie and Mum’s lives, and the only prop is a sequence of changing photo cards, confirming the time and place of the story’s progress – not that they lend much to the proceedings. Although she likes her mum more now that she is dead – the clue is in the title – we never really see the transformation from irritated, put-upon daughter to loving, mentally at ease daughter. Nevertheless, it’s a smart, engaging hour from Deborah Unger, based on her own experience, and there will be something here that everyone will recognise from their own childhood.

The Problem, Assembly Rooms.

We’ve all been there. A perfect system works perfectly until somehow, unpredictably, a problem emerges. But how to solve it? Hopefully we’d all do better than Slater, Manning and Wilson, who display increasingly bizarre coping and solving strategies which descend into paranoia, chaos and general ludicrousness. Very slickly performed by Matthew Boston, Brian Dykstra and Patrick Frederic, who give their all in a three-way fencing tournament of wits where only the bravest gain attention and only the strongest survive. If you like an ensemble piece of wordplay, this may well be your cup of tea. It’s the kind of show that divides an audience; for me, the absurdity of it all stretched my credulity and, I’m afraid, patience beyond breaking point, but their commitment and skill are never in doubt.

Gareth Waugh: Is Pepsi OK? Monkey Barrel Comedy.

Fans of stand-up comedy are familiar with the concept of comedy as therapy, where a comic relates a tragic sequence of events to help them come to terms with what’s happened to them – frequently sacrificing laughs for the sake of their mental health. In Is Pepsi OK? Gareth Waugh has already come to terms with the hurt and damage caused by a very proficient conman, but there is still an element of healing therapy as he relates the extraordinary events of the summer of 2023. En route, there’s some great material about performing stand-up on cruise ships and at a darts tournament, but it’s the story of his work with Coca-Cola that dominates the hour. Gareth is a terrific storyteller and his tale is engrossing – indeed, frequently anguish-inducing – even if it isn’t always laugh-out-loud funny, and he works hard to spin it into the most positive experience he can. So many morals to this tale: I’d recommend checking the veracity of email addresses first.

Two Halves, TheSpace Triplex.

A thought-provoking two-hander where rising woman’s football star Sophie and fading Welsh rugby player Sean start a relationship following a chance meeting at an American sports awards ceremony. A series of intensely written and tightly performed scenes reveal pivotal moments in their relationship over the coming years, when both sides show the strain of facing scrutiny under the spotlight of social media and the physical demands of their chosen professions. The pressures of both being at very different stages of their careers, and even the importance of superstition rituals provide an additional level of tension. A combination of romcom, sports docudrama and psychological breaking points, it’s riveting to watch, and unusual and original subject matter for this very promising first play by Sam Rowlands and direction by Zoe Lerman, who also appear as Sean and Sophie. Recommended!

SpinQueen, Greenside @ George Street.

Feeling insecure, unfit, or generally worthless? No problem, leave it to Meg to put you through your paces in a 45-minute spin class, where good posture reveals emotional brittleness and measurable numbers count for everything. Our wannabe theatre kid trainer must have a golden existence with that toned body and her inexorable drive. But we’re only human and sometimes the miseries of real life perform mission creep on your daily workout… Megan Tomei gives an outstanding performance as the irrepressible but surprisingly fragile Meg for whom not even exercise is the answer to everything, Three-quarters hilarious and one-quarter absorbingly tragic, it’s simply staged with just a spin bike, a very clever stage make-up effect (I’ll say no more) and one of those hearty musical workout tracks. SpinQueen gives us a heartfelt and horrifying peek into the real life of someone truly on the edge.

The Real Chrisparkle meets Alex Hill (starring in The Jolly Fisherman at the Edinburgh Fringe 2026)

Posted on August 4, 2026 by therealchrisparkle

©Finlay Bourke

The Edinburgh Fringe is almost upon us for another year, and one of the most hotly anticipated shows for 2026 is The Jolly Fisherman, a new play by John Dinneen starring Alex Hill and Jonny Khan. It’s about two childhood best friends, Alan and Amir, and how their worlds try to pull them apart as they get older. Alex, of course, had huge personal success recently with Why I Stuck a Flare up my Arse for England. In between rehearsals, I was lucky to get a few minutes with Alex to ask him some questions about his new show – and life as an actor. Hope you enjoy our chat!

Real Chris Sparkle: Hi Alex, great to have the opportunity to ask you some questions! First, I must ask you about Why I Stuck a Flare… Three years ago, you brought Billy’s story to the Edinburgh Fringe for the first time – could you ever have imagined it would become the success that it did?

Alex Hill

Alex Hill: Thank you Chris for the thoughtful questions! Yeah, those three years have flown by. That first Edinburgh was such a scary period of time for me. The show was on at half 10 at night (not a traditional theatre slot), it had a ridiculous title, and it was the first thing I’d ever done out of drama school. It was a bit of a lottery really, in many ways I had so much to lose but also, it was kind of a free hit. Thankfully people responded positively and I was lucky enough to keep getting asked to do it. But no, when I started that play, it was just about getting to the end of that initial Fringe! What came next was a bit of a dream really.

RCS: You’re playing Alan in The Jolly Fisherman – what was it about the role that attracted you? Are there similarities to Billy?

AH: I was ready for a year off the Fringe after doing it for three years. But then John Dinneen put this amazing script in front of me and I knew instantly that I wanted to do it. It has all the makings of a brilliant play and whilst it has similarities to the work I’ve done previously, it feels fresh and like a totally new challenge. Alan and Billy are similar in that they are both young men trying to put their best foot forward in an ever-changing world, but their journeys and personalities are totally different. I think it’s cool to see a character like Alan on stage, who feels completely realistic and like someone you’d definitely meet down the pub.

©Finlay Bourke

RCS: Theatre has the power to change the way people think. Is Alan going to change our thoughts and preconceptions – and can you sense it as an actor when an audience is confronted with uncomfortable truths?

AH: I mean, I hope so! The play is full of conflict and definitely challenges Alan and Amir’s world views. I’m hoping that by watching these two young men on stage trying to figure it all out, people will also be able to confront and challenge some of their own opinions and ideas.

RCS: Taking you back to your early days, was there a moment as a teenager, or as a child, when you knew you wanted to become an actor? And if you weren’t an actor, what would you like to be?

AH: I had an amazing drama teacher at school that made me believe it could be a possibility. Although, I don’t think I was brave enough to admit that I wanted to give it a go until I was forced to make a decision of what I wanted to do next. All my mates were finalising their UCAS applications and I sheepishly walked into her office and said I think I wanted to give drama school a go. There was never any pressure from her, but she laughed as if to say ‘you took your time!’ I’d missed the application windows so I took a year out and went for it the following year but I’m so glad I did.

RCS: You’re coming back to Edinburgh again for the Fringe – what are you looking forward to on your return to the city? Will you have time to see other shows, or do some exploring?

Jonny Khan, Layla Madanat (director) and Alex Hill
©Finlay Bourke

AH: Yeah definitely! Because we have an early slot at 12:45, it means we’ll have the rest of the day for exploring and seeing shows. As always, lots of amazing artists are up there. Just some of the shows I’m looking forward to seeing are ‘You and Me (and Whoever Come’s Next)’ at Summerhall, Philip Stokes’ new play ‘This is Not America’ at Pleasance and ‘An Ode to the Casting Director’ by Sophie Fisher at Gilded Balloon.

RCS: And after the Fringe, what’s next for Alex?

AH: Nothing in the diary at the moment… hopefully something though!

RCS: Thanks for giving me your time Alex and I wish you all the best for this year’s Fringe!

AH: Thanks Chris!

The Jolly Fisherman plays at the Buttercup venue at Edinburgh’s Underbelly George Square from 5^th to 31^st August (except 17^th) Some dates are already sold out so don’t hesitate to book via Underbelly or at the Edinburgh Fringe website here.

Review – Midnight at the Never Get, Menier Chocolate Factory, London, 2nd August 2026

Posted on August 3, 2026 by therealchrisparkle

The programme notes for this remarkable production of Midnight at the Never Get at the Menier feature a conversation between its writer, Mark Sonnenblick and its director, David Cromer, where they discuss whether there has ever been a musical show before that takes its content from the imaginary back catalogue of a fictional songwriter. Whether or not they know it, I’m not sure, but I was about ten minutes into the show when I was forcefully reminded of that great, but now largely forgotten 1970s musical Songbook by Monty Norman, which charted the career of the legendary (and entirely made up) composer Mooney Shapiro.

Songbook followed on the success of Side by Side by Sondheim, at the time the go-to production for a musical rundown of a legendary writer’s songs. But Midnight at the Never Get serves an entirely different purpose. Not a mere celebration of a fictional songwriter but using his output as a vehicle for capturing a time in the 1960s when homosexuality was still illegal; recreating the atmosphere of a Greenwich Village nightclub where the performers were pushing the envelope to express the love that dare not speak its name.

Cromer’s brilliant production takes you off the streets of 21^st century London and plunges you into a brave old world where a man might just sing about love for a he rather than a she. As soon as you enter the Menier auditorium – always a voyage of discovery as you never know how they are going to have configured it this time – you’re swept into a world of cabaret tables and plush upholstered seating, surrounding a pocket handkerchief of a performance space, dominated by a grand piano with just a mic stand at the front. Scott Pask’s immaculate design works with Heather Gilbert’s terrific lighting to suggest every mood that accompanies every song written (and performed) by the late great Arthur Brightman and sung by his friend, lover, and creative inspiration, Trevor Copeland.

At just over 90 minutes without an interval, Copeland and Brightman take us on a journey of how they met, how they wrote and performed together and what they felt for each other. To give you any further details would be to spoil the many surprises that Mark Sonnenblick has constructed in this exquisite chamber piece of a show. The 90 minutes fly by, due to the excellence of the material and the performances.

Sonnenblick’s songs are both delicate in their honesty and robust in their pastiche of jolly 60s musical theatre showtunes and the performances, primarily by Ben Platt as Trevor Copeland, are outstanding. The majority of the show consists of Platt exposing his heart, through narrative and song, and the audience hangs on his every word. The purity of his voice is perfect for Sonnenblick’s heartfelt torch songs, but he can instantly switch on the razzmatazz for the upbeat numbers. It’s a riveting performance.

Gregor Milne is also excellent as Arthur Brightman, sitting at the piano and knocking out the notes, taking us through his creative process for constructing his masterpieces, occasionally also venturing onto the stage at the front to demonstrate that Brightman and Copeland truly were a team. It’s highly emotional throughout, but it’s not until the final ten minutes, which includes the appearance of veteran musical theatre star Barry James – on absolutely cracking form, you long to see more of him – that your heartstrings are well and truly tugged.

The rest of the run is now pretty much sold out – it cries out for a transfer, but it would have to be somewhere truly intimate. An amazing experience, and a privilege to be there.

Five Alive Let Theatre Thrive!

Review – The Comedy Crate and Northampton Comedy Festival present Phil Nichol and Paul Tonkinson, Work in Progress, Cheyne Walk Club, Northampton, 30th July 2026

Posted on July 31, 2026 by therealchrisparkle

Time for the final Edinburgh Preview show this summer, before the Fringe gets underway next week. Once again, those nice people at the Comedy Crate have put together a double bill of top-quality comedians to hone their material before the Big Event.

Our first act, however, doesn’t have an Edinburgh show this year – instead, Paul Tonkinson promised us an hour of his best material, and he certainly delivered that. He has the aura of an old-school, rather traditional comedian, taking familiar, relatable subjects like wife, kids, sex, etc, but with a deceptively modern twist. We learned about skiing holidays hosted by the mysterious Pierre, how despite hailing from Yorkshire, living in north London means he is surrounded by posh kids, and how doggy style in their household has a somewhat different meaning. Very likeable, very confident, with an easy delivery, his set was an excellent start to the evening.

After the interval it was time for someone we’ve seen many times before, the always engaging and dynamic Phil Nichol. If you search his name in the Edinburgh Fringe site you’ll find he’s involved in no fewer than four Edinburgh shows this year, but his work in progress yesterday was for his new show, Aren’t We Lucky, which will play every day at the Gilded Balloon Teviot from 5^th to 30^th August except the 17^th. Aren’t We Lucky has a rather cosmic premise, which I won’t spoil for you, suffice to say that the odds that we are all together at the same time to enjoy the same performance are pretty low. Lou Reed and the Barenaked Ladies play a part – as do Phil’s very Christian parents – other very non-Christian parents are also available. En route, we discover the benefits of being 61, and the story of how his family managed to gain Canadian citizenship. He presents an eclectic jumble of comedy threads, all delivered in his trademark high-energy, lovable rascal style. He was the first to admit there’s still a little bit of work to do before Edinburgh, but – hey, he’s still got six days! And we were all overdosing on laughter anyway, so I’m sure this show will be a great success at the Fringe.

And that’s it for the comedy previews – next week, the serious business starts!

Review – The Cherry Orchard, Royal Shakespeare Company at the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, 29th July 2026

Posted on July 30, 2026 by therealchrisparkle

©Johan Persson

Usually, the person who knows a play best is its writer; however, sometimes it takes an insightful actor or director to point the play in a different direction from how the writer imagined it and bring the truth out of the text. That old cove Chekhov insisted that The Cherry Orchard was a comedy – indeed with farcical elements. Sixty odd years after he wrote it, Edward Bond also described his notorious play Saved, which included the torture and murder of a baby, as a comedy. Birds of a feather, I reckon.

©Johan Persson

Laura Wade’s new adaptation of The Cherry Orchard works hard to accentuate all the comic elements and the quirkier characterisations. Yepikhodov is a clumsy oaf who pratfalls his way through the play. Gaev is dressed like he’s wearing last year’s Christmas jumper. Pishchik gets drunk easily and wobbles his way around the stage. And Lopakhin speaks in a Northern Irish accent. Why? Good question. Probably for the same reason that Yasha sees fit to administer cunnilingus to Dunyasha beneath her dress (not sure the Wednesday matinee audience was ready for that) or that Yepikhodov decides to play Elvis Presley’s Wooden Heart on the guitar. Maybe it’s to create some kind of Brechtian Verfremdungseffekt? Whilst we’re on the subject of music, Royal Shakespeare Company productions normally nail the incidental musical accompaniments; but this production has, for some reason, a loud extended piano piece that completely drowns out important conversations in the third Act – again, why?

©Johan Persson

Balancing all these tricksy, light-hearted elements the production faces an uphill battle to reveal the tragedies beneath the surface; and it very much relies on individual performances to do the best they can. Esther Smith is excellent as Mme Ranyevskaya’s adopted daughter Varya, busily fretting with household matters and enabling others to do what they want, to the extent that she allows herself to ignore her own position and future; and, in arguably the best scene of the play, her reaction to not receiving a proposal from Lopakhin, where she gives in and breaks down in floods of tears, gives us a genuine insight into what Varya’s future will look like.

©Johan Persson

Michael Elwyn as the old manservant Firs also allows us to look behind the façade and see the past crumbling away as time marches inexorably forwards. Delightfully doddery and bewildered, his occasional flashes of true insight show us another character who has given up their life in the service of others; but he sees it as a life well-lived, a privilege to have been pivotal in such a prominent family.

©Johan Persson

For me, the best performance in the production comes from Alfred Enoch as Trofimov; he’s the only major character in the play who speaks with genuine conviction, and indeed, his is the one character who has faith that there will be a bright future ahead for the country. Robust, assertive and intelligent, he certainly gives the production a boost of energy every time he comes on stage.

©Johan Persson

There are those, of course, who remain unaffected by the tragedies or the societal changes that Chekhov so successfully foresaw. Mme Ranyevskaya, and her brother Gaev, are vacuous aristocrats who spend money – that they don’t have – like water and fritter away their lives on bland pursuits. It’s definitely a challenge to make these two characters interesting; and I fear that neither Helen Hunt nor Bill Pullman succeeds in that quest. Ms Hunt underplays Ranyevskaya so much that you feel she never really features in the play at all. When she’s told endless times by Lopakhin that the cherry orchard will be put up for auction, it’s not that she buries her head in the sand, simply nothing registers, there’s no reaction at all. When she finally gets agitated that, as predicted, it’s been sold, her sudden reaction stretches the audience’s credulity. But – to be fair – why should Madame bother? Her solution is just to go back to Paris and continue to spend other people’s money.

©Johan Persson

This is the second RSC production this year to star Kenneth Branagh. Fresh from a superb performance as Prospero in The Tempest, here he is Lopakhin, getting off to an amusingly entertaining start as he was onstage all the while the audience were entering the auditorium and we hadn’t a clue. Desperate for attention in the first scene, where he is the nouveau-riche upstart trying to impress the old money aristos, he hops about, trying to ingratiate himself, like a vulture awaiting an imminent feast. When it is revealed that he has bought the cherry orchard, he is so cock-a-hoop yet immensely surprised at his own success, that he can barely break it to Madame that her estate is now his – squirming his way through his speech in a mixture of delight and embarrassment. And his non-proposal to Varya is a moment of theatrical brilliance that produced exasperated gasps from the audience. It’s a confident and highly individual performance – definitely shifty, and in many ways eccentric, especially with that accent.

©Johan Persson

Despite Sir Kenneth’s shenanigans, overall, and some good supporting performances – Julian Moore-Cook’s Yasha is believably flaky and Amber Gadd’s Dunyasha is a natural for the comedy – the production feels disappointing. There’s an almost total lack of emotion, rendering this remarkable play cold and – dare I say it – largely dull. Laura Wade’s updatings feel at odds with the traditional costumes and Anna Fleischle’s set, which emphasise the faded glory of the old house and the encroaching, unmanaged orchard outside. Despite what Chekhov might have thought, this isn’t a funny enough play to concentrate on the comedy and let the tragedy look after itself. I came away from it agreeing with Lopakhin – chop down those trees, build some dachas and move on. It’s what the place needs.

Two Disappointing for More!

Review – The Comedy Crate and Northampton Comedy Festival present Finlay Christie and Larry Dean, Work in Progress, The Lamplighter, Northampton, 27th July 2026

Posted on July 28, 2026 by therealchrisparkle

Unsurprisingly, the Lamplighter was sold out last night as those nice people at the Comedy Crate spoiled us with another opportunity to witness two young masters of the comedic art sharpening their knives on their material in preparation for their Edinburgh Fringe runs in August.

First up was Finlay Christie, making final adjustments for his Edinburgh show, Champagne Casanova, at the Monkey Barrel from 3^rd to 30^th August. The message of his new show is essentially to beware flattery, a lesson he seems to have learned the hard way. Mr C riffs off his private education background – wise to address that issue in the early stages – and then launches into a few hair-raising sequences, including the lengths you can go to participate in crime in New Orleans, and how to put the North into North Korea. He explains his gratitude for billionaires, and the appropriateness of being congratulated on the size of one’s manhood. Seemingly effortless on stage, he’s always super engaging and likeable, exuding a natural confidence which is constantly being challenged by a delightful hint of self-deprecation. The show is pretty much Fringe-ready, and I’m sure it will be a big hit.

After the interval, it was time for Larry Dean, honing his ideas in preparation for his Edinburgh show, Hellbent, at the Pleasance Courtyard from 5^th to 30^th August (8^th, 10^th and 11^th are already sold out). A marvellous comedy presence on stage, he gets great humour out of his intimidating appearance – those eyes could unsettle you for days – whilst actually being a kindly, people-pleasing soul who wouldn’t want you to go away with a bad impression of Scotland. The main thrust of this new show is his rather tortuous path to getting married – to Michael, cue one of Mr D’s amazingly funny accents, outrageous Black Country. En route, we discover why Stage 1 Autism is called Stage 1 Autism, how a haunted house can rescue you from a lawsuit, and what it was like to meet the King at the Royal Variety. Iranian relatives and an innocent question about a gay couple by an 8-year-old also play a part. Larry Dean enjoys himself tremendously on stage and his enthusiasm spreads to us all; you’ve never a moment’s doubt that you’re in the presence of a true master of comedy. He’s going to go down a storm at the Fringe!

One more Edinburgh preview show coming up on Thursday before the comedy world decamps to the Scottish capital!

Review – My Fair Lady, Festival Theatre, Chichester, 23rd July 2026

Posted on July 25, 2026 by therealchrisparkle

Having hosted more than its fair share of disappointing productions over the last few years, Chichester desperately needed to get back on track with a big, crowd pleasing summer show to help restore its reputation; and the decision to mount its first ever production of that remarkable musical, My Fair Lady, was a winner. Without doubt this is Chichester’s best production since Oliver! and possibly for years before that too. No one could have turned their hand to delivering a big successful musical production for Chichester like director Rachel Kavanaugh, ten years on from her sensational Half a Sixpence. And who would have thought this old warhorse of a show could pack a Thursday matinee in July so that the huge Festival Theatre was officially sold out?

Kavanaugh’s amazing gift is to create a show that’s familiar to 90% of its audience and make us feel as though this is the first time we’ve ever seen it. This My Fair Lady is fresh, funny, exciting; full of unexpected treats and insightful characterisations, spectacular choreography, glorious harmonies, and song after song that will keep you singing this outstanding score for days to come. Peter McKintosh’s creative set makes great use of the revolving stage, combined with Howard Harrison’s superb lighting design; take the Embassy Ball, for example, so cleverly and concisely conjured up by just some chairs positioned around the edge of the stage with some well-placed lighting.

McKintosh’s costume design is also outstanding, with immaculately created Edwardian gowns and evening wear contrasting with the drab flower sellers and dustmen. The Ascot racegoers outfits are inspired by the classic Cecil Beaton designs but with an eye to this production’s specific colour motifs that crop up again and again; the use of purple in this show, for the flowers, the lighting, the confetti and Eliza’s dress is both beautiful and strangely emotional.

Lerner and Loewe pulled out all the stops when they wrote My Fair Lady; every single one of its sixteen or so songs is a classic, and the trick, which this production nails absolutely, is to perform them so that they both tickle our nostalgia with something comfortably recognisable but also give us insights so that they reveal something new. This is thanks to both the brilliance of the individual performers and the intelligence of the direction. In Wouldn’t It Be Loverly you genuinely envision poor deprived Eliza experiencing unlimited chocolate and warmth because in Keziah Ibe’s fantastic performance it’s her imagination that drives her singing. When Ms Ibe performs Show Me with her infatuated Freddy, he tries to answer back to all her musical demands but she won’t allow him a word in edgeways in a gloriously choreographed “battle of the sexes” routine. And when Higgins concludes the show with I’ve Grown Accustomed to her Face the insights into his character are so profound that there is scarcely a dry eye in the house. That’s just three examples of how you can push the boundaries of understanding whilst remaining completely faithful and respectful of the original.

The cast are outstanding throughout. The ensemble are magnificent with both their singing and dancing; Joe Henry, Kody Mortimer, Jonathan Bourne and Nic Cain set the bar very high from the opening moments with their funny, sensitive and beautifully sung accompaniment to Wouldn’t It Be Loverly, and Nicholas Duncan and TJ Lloyd lead the dustmen’s ensemble in Doolittle’s two big numbers with terrific energy and musicality. Belinda Lang is a hilariously disapproving Mrs Higgins, caustically withering with her every pronouncement, and Finty Williams makes a marvellously sensible Mrs Pearce, whom you sense is just one sentence away from giving Higgins a well-deserved telling-off.

Ben Culleton makes the most of On the Street Where You Live as a totally entranced Freddy, delightfully hapless and hopeless but so incredibly good-natured about it. The always marvellous Tony Jayawardena gives a sprightly and not too eccentric performance as Pickering, luxuriating in his elegant housecoat and unexpectedly knowledgeable about ladies’ couture. I always think one of the most challenging problems of My Fair Lady is how to make the character of Alfred P Doolittle credible and funny without careering into pantomime, and Gary Milner is simply brilliant in the role, delivering a spot-on level of cheek, occasionally breaking the fourth wall. He’s like the engaging uncle who used to make you laugh as a kid with his little winks and playful approach. Stephen Mear’s choreography for Mr Milner is so well judged, giving the ensemble two full-blown big routines whilst allowing Mr M to concentrate on his jaunty walks and character-led reactions. Choreographically, the outstanding moment of the show is With a Little Bit of Luck, an immaculate showpiece crammed with humour. I’ve never seen pewter tankardography before, and it’s something we need more of.

The show does, of course, rely heavily on its two leads and here we have some truly inspired casting. Higgins is played by Hadley Fraser, whom I have never seen in musical theatre before, and he’s extraordinary. There’s no doubting that this Higgins is a wretched, grown-up spoilt brat, totally lacking any social graces, and an embarrassment to everyone around him. This is played to full comic effect in I’m an Ordinary Man, where he literally cavorts around the stage, reliving all the aspects of womanhood that deeply disturb him. In fact, he’s profoundly damaged by his own personality. I’ve Grown Accustomed to her Face is not mere regret for the way he has behaved towards Eliza, but it shows us how he lacks the mental resources to go on without her. I loved the final, deliciously inconclusive tableau of the production, with Eliza in the driver’s seat and Higgins a blubbering mess lower down the pecking order. If she does stay with him (and that’s no foregone conclusion) there’s no doubt who’ll be wearing the trousers in that household.

Rachel Kavanaugh had the courage and foresight to cast the unknown Charlie Stemp in Half a Sixpence ten years ago and look what a brilliantly brave decision that was. In My Fair Lady she has cast Keziah Ibe as Eliza in her professional stage debut, a massive responsibility on young shoulders, but once again under Ms Kavanaugh’s tutelage, a star is born. Ms Ibe has a great voice – that’s a given; but she is so expressive in her singing, and her facial expressions have such eloquence that she delivers a performance of constant surprises and delights. A great feel for both the comedy and the pathos of the role, she truly is the most remarkable find; and she brings the house down with her conversation and behaviour at Ascot. You’re always on her side, and I can’t wait to see her career develop.

Two years after Oliver! Chichester is properly back on form with this remarkable revival. Surely a West End transfer must come its way?

Five Alive, Let Theatre Thrive!

Review – The Comedy Crate Festival, Part Two, Northampton, 18th July 2026

Posted on July 19, 2026 by therealchrisparkle

As if one all-dayer comedy festival last month wasn’t enough, those nice people at the Comedy Crate have spoiled us with a second all-dayer on Saturday 18^th July. Another fifteen acts all vying for our attention in three venues at five time slots, all for the risibly cheap price of £25. It would have been a crime not to take them up on the offer! Everybody makes their own choices, and so everyone’s individual programme for the day will have been different – but here’s ours:

2 pm – Marty Gleeson in The Lamplighter

Preparing for her Edinburgh Fringe show, Dog Ear, at the Pleasance Courtyard from 5 – 30 August, Marty Gleeson presents us with a surreal selection of comic situations and fantasies that appear totally unconnected – until she weaves them all into a satisfying narrative at the end. Some of her material is downright weird and you can’t second-guess where she might be going with any of it! The title of the show comes from an observation made by an Art school teacher that nothing a creative artist shows us is accidental – it’s all there for a purpose. How does that fit in? You’ll have to see the show to find out! A work in progress show, so some areas need tightening up, but I’m sure it will be spick and span for Edinburgh. Highlights include a hilarious funeral service and some truly surreal newscasting. A veritable queen of quirkiness – just don’t call her adorable!

3.30 pm – Toussaint Douglass in The Black Prince

Last year we saw Toussaint Douglass’ WIP pre-Edinburgh show and felt it needed an awful lot of work before it got to the Fringe – and what happened? Terrific reviews and sell-out shows. This year, he hasn’t got an Edinburgh show but instead came to try out some new ideas and comic concepts to see if they’ve got legs. As you would expect, some of them do and some of them don’t. But what Mr D always has on his side is his engaging stage persona and cheeky daring when it comes to interacting with the audience. He’s excited to be the possessor of a lawn (he is from Lewisham, after all), he has an optimistic view on knife crime and overdrafts, and is keen to discover how to be a Dad. He rounded his set off with a game of What Cheese is in the Box; one member of the audience got quite close, but not close enough to win the prize (which is, presumably, the cheese). No doubt he will sift through the hour we all spent together and sort out the wheat from the chaff. It’s what Work in Progress is all about!

5 pm – Morgan Rees in The Black Prince

New to us, Morgan Rees is putting the finishing touches together for his touring show, the subtly titled What a Bummer! which will also have a brief slot at the Edinburgh Fringe at Monkey Barrel 2 from 11 – 15 August. I’m not sure about what a bummer, but certainly, what a find! Mr Rees is a breath of fresh air on stage, one of those people who just convey a natural air of happiness and positivity; you sense he would always look on the bright side of everything. Comfortably confident with loads of excellent material, much of which is about sharing his experience of coming out as gay. In many ways he provides a public service of explaining it straight to the straights, so to speak; I can imagine Mr R does more than his fair share to simply eliminate homophobia. Extremely funny and extremely likeable, he is definitely one to watch, and I’d say What a Bummer is at least 95% finished article. Be careful with your crop tops!

7 pm – Andrew Maxwell in The Charles Bradlaugh

Someone else new to us, although he’s so well known he really oughtn’t to be, Andrew Maxwell will have a three-night stand at the Edinburgh Fringe at the International Convention Centre from 14 – 16 August. One of those supremely confident and gifted comedians who you would never think would need to resort to a work in progress show as it all tumbles out of their head fully formed and laughter-perfect. Slickly delivered, his hilarious material kept us laughing for much longer than his allotted hour. A very safe bet in Edinburgh (or indeed, wherever he turns up).

8.30 pm – Andrew White in The Lamplighter

Andrew White is crossing his t’s and dotting his i’s in preparation for his Edinburgh show, What A Life! coming to the Cabaret Voltaire at Monkey Barrel from 3 – 30 August. We last saw him doing his Retirement Tour show seven years ago at the age of 19. Now at the grand old age of 26, he’s seen a bit more of the world and the trials and tribulations that life can chuck at you, and in this show he’s working out how to juggle grief with friendships and relationships. Mr White is a naturally engaging communicator and his narrative flows logically; and he has plenty of good material which will make his Edinburgh show work well. It still needs a bit of sharpening up and the addition of a bit more bite, but it’s getting there and, after all, that’s what a work in progress show is for. At the end, Mr W has a big secret to reveal – we were all sworn to secrecy so I couldn’t possibly tell you what it was, you’ll have to see his show to find out!

Do you think if we ask politely, those nice people at the Comedy Crate will do this all again next year? In the meantime, there are still some more Edinburgh preview shows to come – our next one will be on 27^th July to see Larry Dean and Finlay Christie at the Lamplighter!