Dust travels through time and space, waltzing, dodging and diving through the life of a working-class man. It is the energetic, nostalgic retelling of life that many wish they could’ve had from their own grandparents. Bunker one at Pleasance Courtyard, a cavernous stage set only with a wooden trunk, a walking stick and a miner’s helmet set atop. Seats littered with flyers describing Dust as ‘A true story of northern grit, humour, heart & soul!’, covered in appraisals and five-star ratings.
Once the house lights dim and actor Craig McArdle stands in the backlit doorway, fists clenched and shoulders proud, his presence is loud and his confidence unadulterated. McArdle commands the room with his peaky-blinders swagger, intimidating stare and tongue-in-cheek humour.
McArdle’s character is a father, a boxer, a soldier, and eventually a miner. He relives it all with such witty charm and exuberant charisma, you cannot help but love him through it all.
Writer and director Charlaina Thompson shaped the production to have a beautifully spontaneous feel to it, McArdle runs through the show as if he’s telling a tall tale, occasionally stopping to query the name of a pub or sometimes getting lost on a tangent. His animated delivery is full of perfect caricatures of characters he met along the way; McArdle has facial dexterity that must have taken years of training to master. All the humour and lightness is broken up by eerie moments, like the flick of a switch McArdle crumples his body and his face into an old man’s. His desperate wheezing breath fills the room. A stark spotlight, the sound of a hospital, he begs for somebody to release him. Before the blink of an eye, it’s like it never happened at all, the play moves on. Repeat it all again.
A reminder of the ephemeral nature of human life, you will leave Dust yearning to hold loved ones close. It is a tribute to generations before us, and the sacrifices they made for us to live today. McArdle and Thompson have made a masterpiece that will leave you grateful, tearful and touched to your soul.
Dust is showing at Pleasance Courtyard and runs until 30th August 2026, and tickets can be found at https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/dust
Reviewer: Ella Beckley
Reviewed: 21st August 2026
North West End UK / Theatre Muse UK Rating: