The Edinburgh Festival Fringe keeps delivering surprises, and this week’s batch of theatre productions has given critics plenty to talk about. From a witty musical exploring the strange world of being a twin to a deeply personal tribute to Virginia Woolf, the range on offer is exactly what makes the Fringe worth the chaos of navigating the city every August.
Under the Influence is the kind of show that sneaks up on you. Built around the experience of being a twin, it blends sharp writing with musical moments that land far better than you might expect from a smaller Fringe production. The wit is consistent throughout, never forcing the laughs but earning them, and the performances carry a genuine warmth that keeps the audience engaged from start to finish. At just under an hour, it never outstays its welcome, which is more than can be said for plenty of shows at this year’s festival. If you’re looking for something light but genuinely clever, this one deserves a spot on your list.
An Audience with Virginia Woolf: Writing One’s Mind takes a very different approach. This is a contemporary writer using Woolf’s life, words and philosophy as a kind of mirror, reflecting on creativity, mental health and what it means to be a woman trying to make art in a world that hasn’t always made space for that. It’s a bold thing to take on, because Woolf casts a long shadow and comparisons are inevitable. But the show earns its place by not pretending to be something it isn’t. This isn’t an impersonation or a straight biographical piece. It’s more of a conversation across time, and there’s a real sense of sisterly solidarity running through it that gives the whole thing an emotional core.
The performance is intimate and thoughtful, with the writing doing most of the heavy lifting. Some moments hit harder than others, and there are points where the pacing slows a little more than it needs to, but overall it’s a rewarding hour for anyone who cares about Woolf’s legacy or the broader questions the show is asking.
Taken together, these two productions show exactly the kind of range the Fringe does best. One is breezy and fun, the other is more demanding, but both are made with care and performed with commitment. Neither is a massive production with a big budget or a famous name attached. They’re exactly the sort of shows that get lost in the noise of the festival if people aren’t paying attention, which would be a shame.
The Fringe can be overwhelming. There are thousands of shows, the queues are long, the venues are often cramped and the weather in Edinburgh in August is reliably unpredictable. But weeks like this one are a reminder of why it matters. Somewhere in a small room above a pub or in a converted church hall, someone is doing something genuinely interesting, and the whole point of the festival is giving those people an audience.
Both shows have limited remaining dates, so if either sounds like your kind of thing, it’s worth booking sooner rather than later.