one4review | On 15, Aug 2025

All the way from Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Uma Gahd returns to the Fringe with her one-drag theatre piece — and it’s a blessing of comedy, camp, and charm.

Uma makes her entrance looking slightly flustered, as Margaret — her childhood best friend — is running late. She scans the room for her seat, only to find it occupied by a bemused audience member. After a hilariously over-the-top debate, she decides two empty chairs on stage will do just fine.

Settling in, she reminisces about her and Margaret’s mischief-filled youth, including sneaking into nightclubs together. But life pulled them apart when Uma met her boyfriend, Paul. Moving into Apartment 14G, Uma turns this chapter into a comedic highlight: with two puppets, she delivers a riotous song about her noisy singing neighbours, and even forms a girl group — the “14G’s” — while moonlighting as a barista.

When Paul turns out to be far from the man she imagined, Uma jilts him at the altar in a show-stopping lip sync number. Her love life takes a sweeter turn when she meets her manager, Noah, who helps propel her music career forward. They marry — with Noah taking her surname and becoming Noah Gahd — and Uma begins to rebuild her bond with Margaret. But where is Margaret tonight? The mystery ends in one final, perfectly timed punchline: a phone call revealing she got the date wrong.

Throughout, Uma keeps the audience hooked with playful banter, sharp lip sync numbers, and bursts of pure silliness, all while weaving in bigger feminist themes. Warm, slightly daft, and utterly lovable, Uma Gahd delivers a drag cabaret that’s both delightfully offbeat and thoroughly entertaining. If you’re after something a little different at the Fringe, this one’s worth your time.

****

Reviewed by Lynn

C ARTS/C venues/ C Aquila – Roman Eagle Lodge

2 Johnston Terrace

Until 24th

21:25 (45mins)