Oh Plagues, performing at the Edinburgh Fringe, produced by Mebe Productions, sees a group of young aristocratic women attending a soirée when they suddenly learn that they have been locked in to prevent contamination as the smallpox epidemic of 1810 rages on. This isn’t any ordinary period piece however, as the ladies are given a modern twist – swearing, taking drugs, partaking in lesbianism and the like. There’s even a baroque-ified dance breakdown featuring Chappel Roan’s hit song “HOT TO GO!” at one point with the help of Yohana Bayekula’s movement direction.
Making up the group are a bundle of East 15 Acting School students and graduates who implement both scripted and improvised dialogue throughout the show to provide an all round good time for us. Written and directed by Bitota Mpolo who also acts in the piece, Oh Plagues brings a humanised and cutting perspective to the women of the 19th century, seeing them behave in a way which is most unladylike.
The dialogue is well written with plenty of laughs to be had and the delivery from the actors is the cherry on top. I was particularly amused by Gabrielle Norma Griffin’s performance as the intrusive Mother of the house, carrying herself with assuredness and freely playing around with her delivery and manner.
Chloe Gene Lateulere, who played the mean-girl gossip of the group, was to me one of the strongest in terms of improvisation, coming up with the most off-the-wall scenarios yet maintaining the clarity and purpose of the scene. We were shown a broad range of expressivity, physicality, and tonality from each actor – each embodying their character with a different stylism and individuality, bringing their own unique sense of humour to the show.
While the improvisation was very humorous, it did seem to get slightly swamped at times with the cacophony of voices. Allowing for space is vital in improv – rather than being scared of the silence and hence rushing to fill these gaps with noise, embrace the silence.
I thoroughly enjoyed my watch of Oh Plagues, with it providing light entertainment and a range of diversity that is lovely to see at the Fringe – this being an all too rare sight, even more so in a period piece. Oh Plagues is full of fun and full of silliness – a perfect midday watch in my eyes – not too intense, not too crazy, but in fact just right.
Oh Plagues runs until the 24th of August at the studio at C ARTS | C venues | C aurora, with tickets available at https://res.cthearts.com/
Reviewer: Jessie Martin
Reviewed: 15th August 2025
North West End UK Rating: