Independent theatre reviews

This was my first visit to Edinburgh Festival Fringe and while I was planning my trip, I was determined to keep a slot for a “wildcard” show. I’m usually quite focussed and pick shows to review that I am fairly sure I will enjoy to a certain extent, to get off to a good start. But I was determined to see one thing that was right outside of my usual parameters. So it was that if found myself going to see I Made A Mixtape. Pitched to me as “a 90s dorm party meets Meisner-base

I was invited to review Woody Sez during its run at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and it sounded interesting to me due to the fact there would be live folk music being performed by actor-musicians. Indeed, on walking into the Underbelly Bristo Square venue (Cowbarn), four actors were on stage playing gorgeous music, which was a lovely way to be welcomed in to watch a show. Devised by David M. Lutken, the narrative is about the life and career of Woody Guthrie, an accomplished

A long time ago in a village far, far away (from Edinburgh Festival Fringe), I remember sitting and watching Gifford’s Circus and loving the show and one cast member in particular. When the programme for Edinburgh Festival Fringe fell onto my doorstep I was excited to see Tweedy’s Massive Solo Show listed. Showing in Udderbelly – a circus tent shaped as a giant purple cow, the excitement was palpable before the show even began, with plenty of young children filling seats wit

Brainfools Circus visited Ventnor Fringe and I had the pleasure of reviewing Balance in the Bosco Theatre, which was the perfect venue for this show. Using a combination of acrobatics and theatre, Balance is set in 1940s London, with implied threat from air raid sirens overhead and a radio broadcast to place us firmly in this timezone. There is a story to it, however you can take what you want to from it while you’re watching which is clever – because for some of the younge

Melanie Branton is a former English lecturer and self-confessed linguistics nerd and she has created the show The Full English to share her love of the English language with audiences. It was a pleasure go along and review the show at Pier Street Playhouse, one of the venues at Ventnor Fringe. At the start of her performance, Melanie told us, alongside words, she also loves audience participation. This is a phrase that always makes this introvert’s heart sink and yet for th

Marriage Material is a work in progress, which was also the first show at Ventnor Fringe 2026, and a strong opener at that. The venue for this performance was Pier Street Playhouse which happens to usually be a church – fitting for the subject matter. Opening with a poem was a good move by Charlie Rosse, who is on the hunt for a husband and hoping to find help – or even a husband – from within the audience. The first line instantly engaged the audience and also proved to

Shakespeare’s little known poem Venus and Adonis, is about Venus the goddess of love, falling for handsome mortal Adonis, who is only interested in hunting. Unlike Shakespeare’s plays, this poem is a straightforward tale, which was been brought to life originally in 2004 by the Royal Shakespeare Company in collaboration with Little Angel Theatre. A revival of this production, directed by Greg Doran, is on a limited UK tour which is currently at Oxford Playhouse. On walking

When I saw the information about Perfect Show for Rachel on a poster at the theatre, it was apparent that this was a show that would be unique. A collaboration between Zoo Co and Improbable, I was keen to review it, and who better to go with me than my friend Rachel. At the beginning, Flo O’Mahony, Artistic Director and Co-Founder of Zoo Co, but more importantly, Rachel’s little sister, takes to the stage for her allotted 5 minutes to introduce the concept. She is going rel

When I first became aware of Covered In Jam and Asylum Art’s production That’s Not My Name on Instagram it appealed to me firstly because of the subject matter but also because of inclusion of a 2 star quote among several higher ratings on their posters, instantly giving the sense that this was going to be a show that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Written by Sammy Trotman, who started writing after being sectioned, there are a lot of content warnings for this productio

Nowhere is a biographical play written and performed by Khalid Abdalla (The Kite Runner, The Crown) directed by Omar Elerian and produced by Fuel Theatre. I was invited to review the show at Oxford Playhouse. Described as a ‘surprising journey into his own history, set against a cartography of seismic world events’, I was unsure what to expect and as it began, I remained so for a while. After an introduction about how the current location was a safe space to share, unlike a

Cast of Dick Whittington. Photo by Craig Fuller. I was invited to review Dick Whittington at the Oxford Playhouse and initially was not sure about going to a pantomime. However, I went along and I can only say it has validated my aim to be open minded this year about the types of show I see. First thing first, I must mention the programme (my publishing experience means I do notice these things!). The paper is a really high quality but on top of the details of all the people

When I saw Impromptu Shakespeare on the schedule for Ventnor Fringe it was one of the shows that jumped out at me, having enjoyed other improvised shows in the past. Tom Tokley, Octavia Gilmore and Rosy Fordham This show took place in the beautiful and fittingly, historical Bosco Theatre. This was the perfect space for an improv show which begins with the audience being invited to throw ping pong balls (picked from a bag on the way in) onto the stage, by way of selecting the

Could you imagine doing some complicated street dance routines and acrobatics and then thinking, let’s use a giant moving treadmill as our stage. Me neither. However, the creators of Gorilla Circus have taken this very concept and rolled with it (pun intended, see below). RPM is a fast paced, physical show I saw at Ventnor Fringe in their largest venue, Ventnor Exchange Arena, and ever since I have been wondering quite how to describe what I saw. I must admit when the show

Imagine if you could take parts of a pantomime, an hour of Whose Line is it Anyway, the music from Pirates of the Caribbean, an episode of Last One Laughing, a game show, a fever dream, a Disney animation and your slightly inappropriate Uncle, and mix them up in a blender. This may be one way to recreate the style of a show by Le Navet Bete. In reality of course, a production such as this takes a lot of time and development. In this instance, John Nicholson was on board to c

At the start of 2025, when I decided to write about every show I saw for the coming year, I also told myself to have an open mind about seeing different genres of theatre. Comedy shows lurk in my peripheral range, evoking memories of a comedy club years ago where the entire thing was based on audience participation and belittling paying guests. Not my thing at all. As a result, I was a bit unsure what I was letting myself in for when heading to The Old Court in Windsor to s