one4review | On 13, Aug 2026

Deluge sits somewhere between interpretive dance, spoken word and theatre, with sprinkles of comedy. Created by Gabi Flares and Andrea Maciel, it’s a magic-realist exploration of grief inspired by a break-up.

There’s a further part to the blurb which is that there have been more than 40 interviews gathered through a social-media call-out. I never really saw that shown in the story.

There’s a lot to admire here. The physical work is brilliant, and the performance itself is tight and beautifully put together. Flares throws herself into a surreal world of ladders, Komodo dragons, leaking houses, holes and multiplying jam jars as the character attempts to contain the overflow of thoughts that follows the end ( where is that exactly?) of a relationship.

It’s clear that Flares and Maciel know what they want to say. There’s an honesty and tenderness running through the piece, particularly in the way personal experience is blurred with the real stories collected from others. I lived the line about however small life is if you focus on it – it grows.

Flares plays keyboard, loops and mixes her own voice, and moves between physical theatre, dance, spoken word and comedy with impressive control.

There’s a great deal of craft behind the show, and its strange dreamlike language gives it a distinctive identity.

Where Deluge doesn’t quite connect is in bringing all those strong ingredients together.

The comedy raises smiles without always delivering bigger laughs, the movement is accomplished without always carrying the emotional weight of the story, and the narrative doesn’t quite pull us in as deeply as it might.

Rather than anything failing, there’s a sense of wanting them to lock together more completely.

Deluge is honest, imaginative and skilfully performed. There’s plenty here to admire; it just doesn’t quite produce the emotional impact its ingredients suggest it could.

***
Reviewed by Stephen ‘Sharpie’ Sharp
Underbelly Cowgate
Until 30 August (not 18)
15.30 (1 hour)