Caroline Cronin

A difficult watch at times, and not without its flaws, but ultimately a thoughtful and inventive addition to the Brighton Fringe. 

​​​​​​​What if you were forced to spend eternity with your ex? That’s the deliciously awkward premise behind For The Record, in which former lovers David and Nancy reunite in a kind of musical purgatory to revisit their relationship — and wrestle with the question of what might have been.

How To Survive and Thrive in an Impossible World – with a piano! is billed as an “interactive wellbeing show”  - a two-man musical about resilience.  About how we keep going, and hopefully even thrive, in an increasingly complicated world. Written by and starring Steve Bonham and composer Chris 'The Bishop' Lydon, it’s an ambitious concept with a lot of heart, and there’s no doubt the creators are aiming for something meaningful.

The concept of an audio-only theatrical experience is an intriguing one. Stripped entirely of visuals, The Shape of Things Undone asks its audience to engage through just a single sense, and in doing so it creates a deeply personal experience.

Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile—here adapted by Ken Ludwig and directed by Lucy Bailey—arrives on stage with all the glamour and menace you’d hope for: a sun-soaked cruise, a clutch of suspiciously well-dressed passengers, and, inevitably, a murder that sends everything spiralling.

Adapted by Olivier Award-winner Laura Wade from Somerset Maugham’s original play, The Constant Wife, this new version is directed by Co-Artistic Director of the RSC Tamara Harvey and is now embarking on a UK Tour which, delightfully, opened in Brighton this week. It may not have played to a full house, but this superb adaptation certainly brought the house down.

Three years ago, I sat in this same auditorium reviewing Blood Brothers for this publication, and I wondered then what gives this show its extraordinary staying power. Returning now to see the very same production - with the same creative team and even some returning cast members - the answer is clear. In a world where social mobility remains fraught and divisions persist on a global level, the story feels anything but dated.

Four years on from its premiere at the Noel Coward Theatre, 2:22 A Ghost Story continues to unsettle audiences across the UK and internationally. The celebrity casting in this iteration of the UK tour adds a new dynamic in the form of real-life couple Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton.

There’s something quietly powerful about Have You Met Stan?, a new original musical by Bart Thiede, that has just had its final show at the Brighton Fringe. Set within the everyday hum of a pub, this Irish-Polish queer love story has sincerity and charm as it delves into the meet-cute between Seán and Stan and the struggles that unfold.

In Split Ends, writer-performer Claudia Schnier blurs the lines between autobiography and artifice with an intensity that lingers long after the house lights come up. Billed as a part-stand-up, part-puppetry piece, this visceral one-woman show defies easy categorisation—and that’s part of its power.

Wummy is the tale of a wannabe 'yummy-mummy' who is broke, sharing a flat with undesirable housemmates...and absolutely certain she was destined for more. We follow her quest to manifest the dream life - complete with a Chelsea townhouse, doting husband, and of course a bouncing baby - but when the universe throws her a curveball, Wummy is forced to rethink what “having it all” really means.

Brighton Fringe is the perfect breeding ground for improvisational comedy, and there’s plenty of it scattered across the city. At The Quadrant—a venue that has become a staple part of the festival each year—comedian Samantha Day took to the stage to ask one very big question: Which generation is the most unhinged?

In You're So F**king Croydon!, writer-performer Katie Hurley dives headfirst into the question: can where you're from dictate who you become? The result is a riotous, nostalgia-drenched journey through adolescence and early adulthood, brimming with bold energy and brutal honesty.

This new production from director Lucy Bailey is a visual feast of delights. Adapted for the stage by Ken Ludwig in 2017, this is the first time there’s been a UK Tour of the infamous play and Bailey has given it the first-class treatment.

The Rocky Horror Show is a proven worldwide success garnering both critical and commercial acclaim since its debut in 1973.  And happily, this curious cultural phenomenon continues to thrill audiences with the current world tour, directed by Christopher Luscombe.

Ever wondered what went on behind the scenes during the making of Jaws? It’s a well-documented story indeed, but those that aren’t familiar won’t be at a disadvantage when watching The Shark is Broken because it’s a carefully crafted comedy that works effectively as a standalone piece, even without the historical context.

Local Brightonian legend Peter James brings yet another slick adaption of his Roy Grace novella series to the stage on a six-month UK Tour.

A stage adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1930’s spy film (which was in turn was an adaptation of John Buchans novel), The 39 Steps is a madcap dramedy set in 1935 but many of its themes feel relevant today, despite the wacky premise of just four actors playing 139 characters.