Sophie Layton

When a cast member proclaimed that “honestly, the second half is even worse than the first”, I thought that was quite simply impossible. But it wasn’t worse – both were god-awful.

A heartfelt & comedic tribute to growing up queer & becoming the characters we once so longed to be.

★★★★ Naughty, raunchy & with a healthy dose of absurdism, The Meeples: XXX is the darker, dirtier, sexier version of The Muppets that we never knew we needed. Awaiting on the winding staircase up to Lime Studio at Greenside George Street, I watched…

"Thank God the other one's alright!" - Isn't it ironic that the best thing about Bush! The Musical, is Al Gore?

★★★★ “What if we did the insurrection but good?”. Complete with a girlboss rainbow disco & a healthy dose of homoeroticism, January 6th the Musical is a surprisingly entertaining addition to this year’s theSpace programme, combining an imaginative…

★★★ A decently-executed concept that, like the man himself, ran out of road long before he expected to. With his time in Washington over & a political career in tatters, it seems inevitable that Peter Mandelson would find his way to the Edinburgh…

“You are easily impressed & I love it” – but not as impressed as I was hoping to be.

“You call yourself ‘mega’, I see no such thing” is the perfect line to describe this rollercoaster crash.

“I'd rather be shot at The Cheesecake Factory” is a wild thing for a school shooting survivor to say.

“Without the approval & praise of strangers, he won’t be able to do this for much longer”. Consider the praise plentiful & forthcoming, sir, for your show is remarkable.

A fairytale rock band, ‘magic bean’ dealers & Hansel equipped with Mace - “That sounds deliciously fun”.

★★★★★ They “are extraordinary, fearless little girls”, with a show-stopping script, toe-tapping score & the spirits of women everywhere right behind them. Being a girl is no easy feat. With a litany of challenges, expectations & social norms that…

★★★★ An enchanting exploration of femininity & womanhood in a patriarchal society determined to suppress it, yet shining brightly in this incredible piece. Entering to harmonious shanty-like tones of the cast, evoking a siren-like atmosphere…

★★★★ “I would definitely try to court her” and so much more, apparently, that won’t ever be out of my mind. People passed out all around & calls for painkillers in the air, a night of revelry has clearly befallen our motley crew. But it’s where the…

“I would definitely try to court her” and so much more, apparently, that won’t ever be out of my mind.

Millie proclaimed that the audience was “looking at [them] confused & slightly entertained”. They read the room well.

★ ★ ★★ A beautiful love letter to queer culture, friendship, found family & the people who change our lives. A truly heartfelt, emotional tale of navigating the difficulties of unspoken relationships across wide distances & extended periods, Trains…

★ ★ ★ “You have somehow managed to make the apocalypse boring” is a surprisingly relevant section of the script. Greeting the audience with an ominous ’14 days into the apocalypse’ timestamp, alongside enough BAFTA-level guttural screaming to last a…

The Edinburgh Fringe Festival may be over for another year, but as other acts settle in for a well-deserved break, the cast of Mary: A Gig Theatre Show seem to only be getting started

I walked into Rebecca Perry’s show Confessions of a Redheaded Coffeeshop Girl knowing nothing about what I was about to watch. I walked out of feeling as if I knew even less