one4review | On 21, Aug 2026

How much is too much? For Imogen and Rich, a successful professional couple with busy careers and young children, wine has become such an integral part of their lives that it is difficult to imagine their evenings without it. Emma Rydal’s Soaked takes that familiar middle-class ritual and gradually exposes what happens when “a glass or two” becomes something rather more.

There is plenty of humour in the premise, particularly because drinking is presented initially as such an ordinary part of their lifestyle. Imogen is increasingly concerned about her consumption, but finds that giving up is considerably harder when wine is woven into both her home and working life. Herbal tea doesn’t exactly put up much of a fight.

Into their lives comes Maddy, a new employee of Imogen’s and a near-neighbour, whose enthusiastic approach to wine and shots does little to help Imogen’s attempts at moderation. What initially looks like harmless socialising gradually reveals something more troubling, as the characters discover just how dependent their lives have become on alcohol.

The strength of Soaked is that it doesn’t present its characters as stereotypical alcoholics. These are recognisable, successful people who happen to drink too much, and that makes the story rather more uncomfortable. There are a series of wake-up calls as the consequences become increasingly difficult to ignore, while the humour provides an effective counterbalance to the darker material.

Emma Rydal, Toby Gaffney and Stephanie Bradshaw give strong performances, creating believable relationships and keeping the tone balanced between comedy and drama. The writing is engaging and the production never loses sight of the very ordinary social habits at the heart of its story.

An intelligent, compelling and sometimes uncomfortably familiar 80 minutes of Fringe theatre. Soaked has plenty to say about our relationship with alcohol without becoming preachy, and is well worth seeking out.

4 stars ****
Reviewed by Howard
Studio at theSpace @ Niddry Street
Until 25th August
15:40 – 16:50