Our Edinburgh Fringe reviewer Franki Rameaux joins us for a special Theatre Audience Podcast round-up, bringing back her verdict on some of the shows that caught her attention at this year's festival.

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is where theatre gets to take risks. New writing meets experimental performance, musicals emerge from the most unexpected places, artists test bold ideas in tiny rooms and audiences take chances on shows they might never encounter anywhere else. And with thousands of productions competing for attention, sometimes the real joy is discovering something you knew absolutely nothing about before walking through the door.

Franki certainly put in the miles this year, seeing a huge range of work across the Fringe. In this episode, we focus on seven productions: See You Tomorrow, HAM, Belly, January 6th: The Musical, Bodytrapped, Under the Influence and Bliss.

From intimate storytelling and provocative new writing to comedy, music and performances tackling identity, politics and the pressures of contemporary life, it's an eclectic snapshot of exactly what makes Edinburgh such an exciting - and occasionally unpredictable - place to experience theatre.

What surprised her? What stayed with her? Which productions deserve a life beyond Edinburgh? And, most importantly, which shows would she tell you to book if you had the chance?

Join Franki and the Theatre Audience Podcast team as we unpack the highs, discoveries and talking points from another gloriously packed Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Seven shows. Seven very different experiences. Welcome to our Edinburgh Fringe Round-Up.

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This episode, we journey from the supernatural world of a Japanese manga phenomenon to one of America’s most notorious murder mysteries, before gathering under the Jellicle moon for a bold new production of a musical theatre classic.

We review Death Note: The Musical at the Barbican, the true-crime musical Bury the Hatchet at Southwark Playhouse and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s CATS, reimagined for the magical outdoor setting of Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre.

Death Note: The Musical

The globally successful manga thriller comes to the London stage in an exhilarating new musical. When brilliant student Light Yagami discovers a mysterious notebook that gives him the power to decide who lives and who dies, his determination to create a better society quickly descends into obsession.

His actions attract the attention of the brilliant and elusive detective L, beginning an increasingly dangerous battle of intellect, justice and morality. Created in collaboration with the original Japanese producers HoriPro, the musical features a score by Frank Wildhorn, lyrics by Jack Murphy and a book by Ivan Menchell.

Bury the Hatchet

On 4 August 1892, Andrew and Abby Borden were brutally murdered in their Massachusetts home. Andrew’s daughter, Lizzie Borden, became the prime suspect - but was she really responsible for one of history’s most infamous crimes?

A spirited company of three actor-musicians re-examines the case through a lively mixture of true crime, courtroom drama, dark comedy and live folk music. Familiar bluegrass songs, irreverent commentary and sharply performed storytelling give the legendary tale a fresh and thought-provoking theatrical twist.

CATS

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s global musical sensation receives a bold new production in the magical surroundings of Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre.

Inspired by T.S. Eliot’s *Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats*, this reimagining brings together the strays and rebels of London beneath the Jellicle moon. Each hopes to be chosen for a new life as they introduce themselves through some of musical theatre’s most famous songs, including Macavity: The Mystery Cat**, Jellicle Ball** and the chart-topping Memory.

Directed and choreographed by Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre Artistic Director Drew McOnie, this fresh take on CATS promises to be one of the major theatrical events of 2026.

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This episode, we're reviewing two wildly different shows with one thing very much in common: relationships heading spectacularly off the rails. Natalie and Darren experience Matthew Bourne's seductive dance thriller The Car Man, while Hot Mess turns the entire relationship between Earth and Humanity into one brilliantly funny, pop-fuelled musical romcom.

The Car Man

Matthew Bourne's The Car Man roars back onto the stage with its intoxicating mix of dance, desire, jealousy and murder.

Loosely inspired by Bizet's Carmen, Bourne relocates the action to a hot and claustrophobic 1960s American town, where the arrival of handsome stranger Luca sends passions spiralling dangerously out of control. Ashley Shaw is electric as femme fatale Lana, opposite Will Bozier as her doomed lover Luca, leading an exceptionally talented New Adventures ensemble through Bourne's unmistakable blend of cinematic storytelling and thrilling choreography.

Darren and Natalie discuss the extraordinary chemistry of the company, the production's sensuality and how Bourne takes the familiar DNA of Carmen and transforms it into something entirely his own. Dark, sexy and deliciously dangerous, The Car Man is another reminder of why Matthew Bourne remains one of British theatre's great storytellers.

Hot Mess

After a billion years of bad dates, Earth has finally found the one: Humanity. What could possibly go wrong? Quite a lot, as it turns out.

Created by the award-winning team behind 42 Balloons, Hot Mess features music and lyrics by Jack Godfrey and a book and direction by Ellie Coote. This hugely entertaining new British musical transforms the climate crisis into a love story between Earth and Humanity - complete with attraction, arguments, break-ups and some seriously catchy pop songs.

Danielle Steers is sensational as Earth, with Morgan Gregory bringing enormous charm to Humanity as their passionate relationship gradually becomes, well... a hot mess.

But underneath the laughs is something surprisingly thoughtful. The environmental message never feels preachy, instead using comedy to explore what could happen if Humanity continues taking Earth for granted. We discuss why theatre is such a powerful place to tell stories about the climate crisis, the show's ingenious staging, its infectious score and an ending that's worth the ticket price alone.

Funny, clever, informative and bursting with originality, Hot Mess confirms Jack Godfrey and Ellie Coote as two exciting voices in new British musical theatre.

Plus, we're playing Let It Out from Hot Mess during the episode.

Two shows about irresistible attraction, destructive relationships and what happens when desire gets seriously out of control. One involves murder. The other could involve the end of the planet. No pressure.

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