Review: Marriage Material (Pier Street Playhouse, Ventnor Fringe)

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 be an introduction into how the performance was going to continue to keep everyone focussed. Indeed, the first poem held our attention throughout, but I’m not going to share spoilers, as the lines that resonated the most throughout this show are the ones which have more of an impact as they are delivered for the first time in person.

The first poem resonated with me, and seemingly engaged the audience as a whole. After this, Charlie gave us an introduction to what the show was about, including a charming anecdote about meeting someone on a beach which gained a strong positive audience reaction.

From the highs of being in a relationship, to the lows of needing a supportive friend during a break up, the minefield of dating apps to potentially meeting people out in the real world, Charlie took us on a journey through her dating life as well as giving us insight into how she thinks about the world around her in general.

Using a mixture of poetry, comedy, theatre, and gentle audience interaction that wouldn’t alarm the most introverted person among us, this was a wonderful hour’s entertainment. A poem about a bench was particularly emotive, another about friendship catch-ups gave some light relief from the dating roller-coaster, and I adored a reference to Hansel & Gretel – beautifully graphic writing but as I said earlier, no spoilers here.

Comedic elements, both planned and impromptu in reaction to a couple of unexpected situations were strong, especially during a part of the show when Charlie was getting into her outfit of choice for a first date, and also when a rogue phone rang in the audience. This ability to spontaneously adapt is a huge positive for the future of this production.

Marriage Material is currently a work in progress, however I feel as time goes on this will develop into a must-watch, for fans of performance poetry as well as for those who enjoy fringe theatre in general.

The absolute strength in the performance was the beautifully written poetry. Notably, poetry is something I don’t always connect with but the poems in Marriage Material were an exception, and actually my favourite parts of the performance. At the very end, the audience were invited to vote on whether Charlie is indeed marriage material, and the reaction at the performance I saw proved that this talented writer clearly had the audience on her side.

 ⭐⭐⭐ 1/2

Marriage Material will be performed at Ventnor Fringe again on 18 July at 12.30.

Further dates can be found on the Instagram for the show.

If you would like to see my curtain call photographs from this and other shows, please visit my Instagram.

I was gifted a ticket for this show in exchange for an honest review.