Travfest 2025

Lost Lear

08/08/25

Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh

King Lear is my favourite Shakespeare play and, fittingly, Lost Lear is my favourite 2025 Fringe production (so far). Dan Colley’s interpretation of the tragedy sees a retired actor, Joy (Venetia Bowe), who is struggling with dementia, reliving her role as the eponymous monarch. The care home staff accede to Joy’s version of reality, willingly reading in for Goneril, Regan, Cordelia and the fool. It’s kinder than confronting her with the bleak, unhappy truth, says Liam (Manus Halligan) to Joy’s estranged son.

But Conor (Gus McDonagh) takes a little more convincing. He’s uncomfortable playing Cordelia. He doesn’t want to understand the play; he wants answers from the mother who gave him up at birth. Sadly, Joy is largely unreachable, and it’s only through the bard that the pair can connect.

Colley’s beautifully-conceived script intertwines excerpts from Lear with moments in the here and now, gently but relentlessly uncovering the horrors of cognitive decline. There is a stillness at the centre of the piece, belying the chaos of the “cataracts and hurricanoes” as Joy/Lear rages at a world s/he no longer understands. But there is layer upon layer here: this is as much an exploration of stagecraft, poetry and the nature of performance as it is of ageing, care work and the complexities of love. It’s not just a play to watch, it’s one to study too – and I make sure to buy the script as I leave the theatre, so that I can delve into it again after I’ve had some time to think.

Bowe is utterly compelling in the lead role: an imperious, querulous woman, quite difficult to like. But Liam and the other staff (Clodagh O’Farrell and Em Ormonde) treat her with such quiet respect that we take our cue from them, affording her the sympathy that everyone in her position needs. Halligan and McDonagh perform with absolute precision too, but theirs are very much supporting roles, the moons to Joy’s planet.

The set design (Andrew Clancy) and tech (Ross Ryder, Suzie Cummins, Kevin Gleeson) are integral to Lost Lear: cameras are used for extreme facial close-ups and there are microscopic projections too, creating the backdrops. I have rarely seen puppetry so well done as it is here, and never with such relevance. The tragedy is both miniaturised and magnified, viewed from inside and out.

As the metaphorical curtain falls, I turn to Philip and find him silently sobbing, his shoulders heaving, tears falling down his face, caught up in memories of his own mother’s battle with Alzheimer’s. Lost Lear feels worthy of its progenitor: a clever, multi-faceted drama; a treatise on the nature of life and death.

5 stars

Susan Singfield

The Beautiful Future is Coming

08/08/25

Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh

Flora Wilson Brown’s The Beautiful Future is Coming is a triptych: a thought-provoking meditation on the subject of climate change set over centuries. 

New York, 1856. Eunice (Phoebe Thomas) believes she has discovered evidence that sunlight and carbolic acid will one day have a dramatic effect on the world’s weather. She’s understandably keen to spread the word – obsessed with the notion – and she’s supported at every step by her well-meaning husband, John (Matt Whitchurch). However, nobody in the scientific community is prepared to take the word of an amateur – and what’s more, a woman – seriously.

In 2027, Claire (Nina Singh) and Dan (Jyuddah Jaymes) are based at a design agency in London where, ironically, they are working on an advertising campaign for Greenpeace. They begin a flirtation, which develops into a serious relationship. But when Dan’s mother home is flooded by a sudden, catastrophic weather event, Dan’s whole worldview is irrevocably tainted.

In 2100, scientists Malcolm (James Bradwell) and Ana (Rosie Dywer) are trapped in a research centre in Svalbard, Norway, where a storm has been raging for months. Ana is trying to conduct experiments on weather-resistant strains of wheat – and getting precisely nowhere. She is heavily pregnant and beginning to wonder if she can make it to safety before her baby arrives…

The story switches effortlessly back and forth in time, the scenes interconnecting almost seamlessly, the events occasionally echoing each other, as if to emphasise that, no matter how hard humanity tries to effect change, we hardly ever succeed. 

This complex tale is told with deceptive simplicity. The three couples move around Aldo Vázquez’s set like chess pieces on a board, while Elena Penãs atmospheric sound and Ryan Day’s lighting contribute to the play’s immersive atmosphere. For me, the only uncertain point here is Dan’s OTT reaction to his mother’s fate – there’s been no hint in his previously cheerful demeanour that such darkness lies within him.

But The Beautiful Future is Coming does have a profound impression on me, even if I can’t help feeling that the words ‘Don’t Hold Your Breath’ would make an apt suffix.

4 stars

Philip Caveney

Lucky Tonight

31/07/25

Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh

Lucky Tonight is an interactive play/pub quiz, performed by its creator, Afreena Islam-Wright. It’s a fascinating theatrical hybrid, the form mirroring the tale. After all, Afreena is used to having a foot in more than one camp: this show explores the complexities of growing up Asian in Manchester: part Gorton-rebel, part Bangladeshi-brainbox. Islam-Wright is an engaging storyteller, skilfully creating a relaxed, informal vibe as the genial host, before slowly revealing a much darker undertone.

Perhaps the vibe is a little too relaxed: Islam-Wright interrupts her own flow with frequent questions to both her director (Julia Samuels) and the tech desk, asking for clarification of where she’s up to or if she’s missed a chunk of text. This isn’t billed as a work-in-progress, so I’m a little disconcerted by these moments. The vast number of largely unnecessary props cluttering the stage doesn’t help. I like the ramshackle spirit of the piece, but I think it needs a more solid base, with clearer audio and visual clues to keep the protagonist’s complex narrative on track.

The quiz is fun, nicely judged so that it feels challenging without being impossible. We’re given tablets and some simple instructions, and we all enter gamely into the competition. Without giving anything away, there are some audaciously-themed rounds, which add edge and a sense of jeopardy. I think there’s scope to take these further, to make the piece more impactful. (Aside: thanks to our third team member’s impressive music knowledge, we actually win the quiz!)

Islam-Wright captures our sympathy: it’s impossible not to empathise with a young woman caught in a trap between her own desires and her family’s demands, finding a way to make peace with the people she loves without compromising who she is. The tone is gentle throughout, creating an unsettling contrast with what is revealed – and, for me, this is the show’s strength. I’m like the proverbial frog who doesn’t notice he’s immersed in boiling water until it’s too late, and I leave the Traverse after what’s felt like a fun-filled ninety minutes, surprised to find myself in awe of Islam-Wright’s resilience and my mind focused on deeper themes.

All in all, Lucky Tonight offers a fresh approach to a coming-of-age story. With more precision and a willingness to push the boundaries, it could be something really great.

3.3 stars

Susan Singfield