one4review | On 23, Aug 2026

Jack MacGregor’s Prophets takes us to the fictional island of Saint John, a tiny British Overseas Territory in the Pacific with a population of just 48. Kerris, a Scottish researcher, arrives partly to investigate prehistoric weather patterns and, more broadly, to explore where we come from. For Joe, one of the islanders she encounters, the answer is very simple: God created everything.

What initially appears to be a scientific expedition gradually becomes something much more unsettling. Kerris discovers that the island’s religious beliefs centre on the mysterious Prophet, supposedly descended from Christ, and begins to question just how much she is being told. Even before she reaches the island, she encounters officialdom that is reluctant to share information, with documents withheld on the grounds of “national security”. Rather than reassuring her, this inevitably makes her more suspicious.

Once on the island, her attempts to meet the Prophet are initially frustrated, adding to the growing sense that there is considerably more going on than she has been led to believe. The production creates an impressively eerie atmosphere, with clouds of white smoke helping to transport us to this remote and mysterious setting. The sparse staging and sound design do a great deal with relatively little.

Rebecca Wilkie gives a strong performance as Kerris, whose determination to discover the truth gradually draws her deeper into the island’s strange world. Xander Cowan is equally impressive, taking on Joe and a succession of other characters. His rapid switches between personalities and accents are highly accomplished, although at times they come so thick and fast that it can be difficult to keep up with who he has suddenly become.

The play builds towards Kerris’s eventual meeting with the Prophet, while exploring some substantial themes along the way: faith, science, religious extremism, power and our desire to understand the origins of the human race. There is perhaps too much material and too many ideas for an hour, and I occasionally found myself wrestling with exactly what the production was trying to say.

Nevertheless, Prophets is atmospheric, ambitious and well performed. A packed audience responded enthusiastically at the end, and I came away feeling that there was plenty to admire, even if not every one of its ideas was fully explored.

A thought-provoking and intriguing piece of Fringe theatre, with strong performances and an impressive atmosphere. I would recommend this, but with the small venue, getting a ticket might not be easy.

****

Reviewed by Howard
Roxyboxy at Assembly Roxy

Until 31st August (not 24th)