one4review | On 21, Aug 2026

Take a film script, run it back and forth through a translator umpteen times and then take the garbled mess that it spits back out and read it out on stage in front of an audience. It’s a tried and tested method for Lost in Translation and with the added bonus that some of the guest comedians have never seen the script before, you’re only going to produce the best kind of comedy chaos.

Each night the script of a different beloved film, from Twilight to Titanic to Love Actually is sufficiently mangled and, after a brief edit to make it as comprehensive as possible, performed. At my showing I was treated to an adaptation of one of my childhood favourites, Pirates of The Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl.

The show is inherently hilarious with dialogue, stage directions and narration all occasionally dipping into the surreal as the translations mix up the meanings. Jack Sparrow becomes Jack Little Bird, flintlock pistols become AK-47s.

It’s worth peeling back the curtain a little and noting that the special sauce in the comedy is not really the wackiness of the mistakes, but the careful way the script has been rewritten to keep only the best parts. These rewrites are downplayed in the show introduction but in reality someone paying attention will notice how certain gags feel much more written by a human than a faulty translator, especially at points when characters start swearing at each other or there are clever callbacks but perhaps a certain level of artifice is welcome to make the illusion that much funnier.

To compare Lost in Translation to its sister show/archnemesis in the Gilded Balloon at the Edinburgh Fringe this year, Lost in Translation is definitely the more visual of the two, with plenty of costumes, miming, props and audience engagement. I wouldn’t say there’s much to pick between them though, as someone unaware of their history, they do seem remarkably similar and my first thought was which came first. But if you like one, you’ll almost certainly like the other.

I had a great time though I found it a little cringe that they are still doing a couple of Harry Potter movies in 2026. Hopefully they’ll have a chance to think of some better options for next year.

A crowd pleasing and eye-wateringly funny show at points but I think best enjoyed if you’re familiar with the source material as the distorted script doesn’t always make it easy to follow along with the action. If you’re thinking of going, be sure to check the website for the show listings beforehand or you might find yourself more lost than the translation.

*****
Reviewed by Tom

21:00

5th-30th (not Mon)

Auditorium at Gilded Balloon at the Museum