Edinburgh Fringe theatre reviews: Good Boy | Villain Era | You’re SO F**king Croydon!

A hallucinogenic experience, scandalous humour, and reality TV gone wild all come together in our latest round of Edinburgh Fringe theatre reviews.

Sarina Freda in no no no please no god no, nevermind i’m fine | Sarina Freda

no no no please no god no, nevermind I'm fine

theSpaceTriplex (Venue 38), until 24 August

★★★★

The title hints at how manic this piece will be, and it certainly does not disappoint. Sarina Freda is a force, as she tells the story of her life-changing hallucinogenic experience that happened a few years ago. Almost in a TED talk style - she assures us that we have never experienced anything quite like what she has. And she may be right.

Freda's wit, quirkiness and boundless energy make her laugh-out-loud funny, keeping the audience enthralled at every moment. Her mime skills are particularly good, adding layers to her performance that elevate it beyond a simple recounting. And it is so much more than just a story about a drug-induced trip.

What is initially a funny exploration of a drug-taking experience takes an emotional twist as we dive deeper into her mind. Through Tom Costello’s dynamic direction, the insanity increases, the torment of inner voices builds and the line between reality and fantasy is purposely made unclear.

The multi-coloured lighting design and intense music enhances the experience, drawing us all deeper into Freda's hallucinogenic trip and her conflicting mind. It feels almost immersive, as if we are right there with her.

At its heart, this is a show about the process of self-discovery. How do we unlock our power? How do we block out our inner saboteur? It explores mental health and the internal voices that can dominate our thoughts.

There are two voices which dominate Sarina, an angelic one, hilariously being the voice of Gwyneth Paltrow. The other voice is dark, scary and pushes her to extremes.  Freda accurately portrays the struggle to control these constantly competing voices, highlighting the denial we sometimes experience when we convince ourselves that we have got it all figured out. Answers may not be given but the journey often is more exciting than any answer.

Suzanne O’Brien

Good Boy

theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall (Venue 53), until 24 August

★★★★

For a debut solo show, James Farley’s autobiographical Good Boy is an assured, compelling piece of work, cunningly constructed and balancing scandalous humour and at times horrifying insights to brilliant effect. It’s also fairly eyebrow-raising in its brutal honesty and its vivid details: if any of those as yet uninitiated want to get up close to the ins and outs (quite literally) of man-on-man sex, this is the place to come.

Or maybe that should be man-on-boy sex: Farley is very much the younger (though of legal age), submissive partner in his early encounters, and effectively forced into roles (and contortions, and activities) by older, more experienced men who explain that that’s just the way they like things, and it’s Farley’s job to comply.

Sometimes it’s exciting, and Farley is honest and astute enough to convey the sheer euphoria of great sex. Other times, though, it’s a far darker, more violent experience – but isn’t that just an occupational hazard in the role he’s chosen for himself?

He’s a strong, sassy, self-aware performer, confiding his awkward visits to STI clinics and his various attempts to shave intimate regions of his anatomy (with decidedly mixed success), for example, while retaining a sense of distance thoughout, as though even in his darkest moments he’s asking whether this is really how things should be.

Yes, Good Boy is firmly focused on a world of casual gay hook-ups, but Farley is insightful enough to question sexual roles more generally, and ask why young gay men – or anyone – should feel compelled to slot themselves into pre-determined identities. There’s a lot of darkness, but his ultimate message of self-acceptance and self-belief holds true, whatever your sexual tastes.

David Kettle

Villain Era

Greenside @ George Street (Venue 236), until 24 August

★★★

Slowly but undeniably, the brutal methods of reality television – and its Wild West internet cousins – are being exposed. Star Stone, who was called Erin Sternstein when internet fame changed her life, has a hell of a story to tell.

 In Villain Era, she describes what happened when, as an aspiring actor, she was cast in a YouTube show based on The Mole, in which contestants had to work out which one of them wasn’t really a vegan. To say she didn’t come out well is an understatement; this is largely down to what she describes as “premeditated vilification” in the editing, and slapdash briefing about what was expected of her on the show. The aftercare was terrible too.

The episode got 17 million views and the trolls set their sights on her. Using re-enactments, video, real footage and personifications of aspects of her being – such as her ego, her gut and dissociation – she illustrates the damage this all did to an already traumatised person. She also touches upon the different ways in which men and women are regarded when being competitive.

It’s uncomfortable viewing at times and by the end you’ll feel like fighting to have the programme makers pay for her therapy.

Ashley Davies  

You’re SO F**king Croydon!

Underbelly, Cowgate (Venue 61), until 25 August

 ★★

“Will this show land outside of the M25?” wonders Katie Hurley. Putting up her hair, she journeys from Croydon to drama school, holidays, a boyfriend, through reoccurring panic attacks, and back again. She’s a very likeable performer, but it quickly becomes apparent that she’s got a location and a series of set pieces rather than a fully formed play.

It’s well staged, with a quiz, commercial dance moves, free crisps and (non-alcoholic) green drinks, but the attempt to add a theme of violence against women and an “art matters” message at the end only adds to the pick-and-mix of topics that would benefit from further exploration.  

Sally Stott

Edward's Talk - What's Driving You?

theSpace @ Surgeons' Hall (Venue 53), until 17 August

★★

Set as a speed awareness talk, this interactive show effectively delivers facts, figures and information that will stay with you beyond the performance. There is an effort to work in a darker storyline, but it doesn't reach the emotional level that it needs to for it to be impactful.

Andrew Bruce-Lockhart convincingly portrays Edward, capturing his inner turmoil and his growing confidence as the talk progresses and he details different stages of driving incidents. Audience interaction fits naturally into the piece and a comfortable environment encourages participation.

More development of the underlying story will elevate this show, which is currently more successful as a talk than a complete theatre performance. 

Suzanne O'Brien

Malvolio’s Fantasy

theSpace @ Surgeons' Hall - Grand Theatre (53), until 24 August

★★

Billed as a zesty interpretation of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, Malvolio's Fantasy certainly brings new enthusiasm and energy to the 400-year old play. Unfortunately, the decision to eschew traditional iambic pentameter for an original script means that the cast is forced to contend with unwieldy rhyming couplets instead of exploring the latent campiness of the source material.

Malvolio’s Fantasy is up against a punishing runtime, too: due to pacing issues, characters are forced to tie up loose ends abruptly, while precious minutes are spent on incongruous musical numbers instead. Considering the number of subplots in the original Twelfth Night, however, the end result is surprisingly cohesive while still offering a fresh take on a classic text.

Ariane Branigan