one4review | On 23, Aug 2025

Lily Blumkin tells us that in real, non-Fringe, life she’s a writer’s assistant, and hopefully she gets to do some writing in that role. It’s in the writing that this show really shines. Lily’s got a flair for storytelling, and an eye for a good plot device. The comedy is varied, subtly and groan worthy, niche references in places, but generally engaging. This is character comedy in the sense of playing-all-the-parts, rather than creating caricatures, and a space for Lily to examine how she’s got to where she is.

The characters are well-realised, and sympathetic as well as funny, for all their blundering and unintended offence, mostly towards a growing Lily. It does take a while to fully understand what’s going on and why they’re there, on stage, despite the helpful interstitials on screen. But it’s worth going with it and enduring a wee bit confusion so that the ending can resolve things – which it does, very nicely, and with another lovely example of Lily’s skills as a writer.

As a performer, and first-time Fringer, Lily’s got lots of potential, and she works well with where she’s at now, playing up the naive optimism of a younger Lily to contrast with the deliberate and considered, hopeful, optimism of her present self. This show is engaging and amusing rather than outright funny, but there’s a continuous upward trajectory all the way through, and the optimism is infectious. A writer to watch.

Reviewed by Laura
17:40
Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose (Blether)
Until 25th