Produced by Fast Snail Productions, Fruit Flies begins when Ollie’s best friend from home, Maddy, travels from Ayr to Edinburgh to stay at Ollie’s and see the Chappell Roan concert together. Problem is, Ollie’s flat mate Steph and Maddy on meeting despise each other. And to make matters worse, it turns out there are only two tickets for the concert, not three. Steph and Maddy have to fight it out and prove to Ollie that they deserve to be the chosen one. This seems like a simple enough premise, until you watch the show and are completely blindsided. It becomes completely surreal as we are taken into a liminal space full of clocks and gags. One person must be killed to sacrifice to the yassifying mirror.
With a very loose plot and jokes we’ve heard a million times in queer culture, this could have easily been another amusing but forgettable show at TheSpace on the Mile, however Fruit Flies breathes new life into the room. It’s crazy, it’s bold, and it’s actually camp. This is satire at its finest. Even the fart gags feel clever rather than cheap – the writing is just so unbelievably quick with its sharp back-and-forths and smart wordplay. And clearly it resonates with the audience – every person there was absolutely buckled over with laughter.
The cast of Fruit Flies are full of bravado and put their whole chests into their performances. Nathan Cathcart as Olly is the twisted ringleader of the play and his catty gay act was a little too convincing. His character demonstrated the all too normalised misogyny within the gay community, but you still love to hate his character, and he loves the drama of it all. Obsessed with “twink death” Olly is vain, manipulative, and bears a striking resemblance to Lady Diana. Cathcart perfectly captured the evil gay like a true showman. His counterparts were just as ostentatious, with Eilidh Barn playing Steph, and Erin McGivern playing Maddy. Barn was undeniably fierce, with her character possessing that same mean streak as Olly. She unfortunately did read Maddy to filth. Barn has such ferocity in her performance you do feel quite sorry for Maddy as she gets absolutely obliterated. McGivern has hilarious physical comedy, with the moments of pause being some of the funniest. Just watching her reactions would have been enough entertainment for me. And when all three actors combine, the dynamic is unstoppable.
Fruit Flies is just so unbelievably funny and sharp, with an excellent array of sound effects too. I can safely say it has been one of my favourites of the Fringe so far and I need audience to bear witness to its hilarity.
Fringe Flies runs until the 29th of August 2026, with more information available at https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/fruit-flies
Reviewer: Jessie Martin
Reviewed: 25th of August 2026
North West End UK / Theatre Muse UK Rating:
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