EDINBURGH 2024: Review: BAD HABIT, The Space @ Surgeons Hall

As audiences step into the theatre to Bad Habit, Sunday service is in full swing. Led by the forcefully charismatic Father James, the sisters of Sacred Heart of Mary, the Mother of Immaculate Conception, have recently welcomed two school girls, Dionne and Eilidh, into their convent.

While originally invited as part of a scheme to support aspiring nuns, the two friends, who have travelled from Glasgow, plan to spend their time in California a little differently – with dreams of taking pictures in front of the Hollywood sign and getting into exclusive LA nightclubs. Things take a turn, however, when, during their latest escape plan, they find themselves trapped in the basement with the stoic Sister Stacey and accident-prone Sister Grace at one of the church's most significant moments in history.

While the locked-room drama, directed by Katya Searle, brings their differences to light, it also provides them with an opportunity to bond in unexpected ways – though a bottle of wine helps smooth things along somewhat. What follows is a new take on the notion of sisterhood in a comedic and entertaining piece of fringe theatre.

The entire company gives strong performances. Molly Gedes and Molly-Jayne Graham are equally charming and chaotic as the schoolgirl duo, while Emma Gray is the perfect foil as Sister Stacey, offering up some of the play’s most heightened moments of comedy. Olaya Ciccarelli-Bermudez is endearing in her portrayal of Sister Grace.

The main quartet are nicely supported by James Crutcher as Father James, the skateboarding, guitar-playing Priest who definitely does not have a secret stash of weed stored away in the basement. Crutcher leans skillfully into the cringe-inducing moments of this caricature, again earning a lot of laughs.

Co-written by performers Gray and Geddes, Bad Habit is a fun, lighthearted production that shows a lot of promise among a company of early-career theatre makers. While some of the more emotional moments feel slightly under-baked, there’s a lot to enjoy within the production. It is funny in a way that never feels heavy-handed or forced. As such, it's a show that audiences at the Fringe are sure to enjoy.

Bad Habit is at The Space @ Surgeons Hall as part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival until August 24.

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