one4review | On 22, Aug 2025

Jennifer Irons rolls onto stage dressed head-to-toe in pink, flashing lights sparking from her roller skates, and immediately sets the tone for a surreal, playful yet deeply political hour. A Canadian-born choreographer who has lived in the UK for 25 years, Irons found herself post-Brexit, being told to go home. However, returning home wasn’t an option — she didn’t have enough “points” to get back into Canada. This absurd dilemma forms the backbone of a show that is as chaotic as it is heartfelt.

In her skewering of immigration systems, Irons identifies the so-called “good immigrants” as either those with money or those who are elite athletes. Lacking both, she decides her best bet is to reinvent herself as a champion roller skater. Cue a riot of movement, music and unlikely visual gags, including a couple of very funny sequences in which her roller-skated feet become puppet characters in their own right.

The performance doesn’t always run smoothly — literally. Irons tumbles several times, and whether those falls are intentional or not becomes part of the anarchic charm. Structurally, the piece feels a little disjointed at times, veering from skits to satire to slapstick, but that unpredictability feels very much in the spirit of the Fringe.

At its heart, Bad Immigrant has a powerful and important message: it’s about belonging, exclusion, and the arbitrariness of who gets to be considered “good enough.” It’s a bit mad, a bit messy, but also funny, engaging, and highly original. In the end, it’s a joyful reminder that Fringe theatre thrives on precisely this kind of risk-taking. Definitely worth giving a bash.

****

Reviewed by Howard

Assembly George Square Studios, Studio Two
15.35 (1hr)
Until 24th August