Roisin’s father was murdered. Now she’s left alone to deal with the consequeses – grieving, bingeing on mini Mars-bars and Gilmore Girls, shutting out the outside world, with a Mammy that’s suffering from dementia, and a health system that’s failing her. Writer Kat Woods pulled from her own experiences after the murder of her father which comes through in the confessional tone of the piece.
Non-Human animal scratches the surface on many incredibly important topics, but unfortunately loses the actual storyline in this web of problems. What is the play about? The prison system? Trauma? Role-play? The NHS? Grief? Mental Health? Soberiety? Northern Ireland after the Troubles? Class? Social Media? Neurodiversity? Body image issues? Guilt? All of the above?
Of course all of these societal issues are interconnected and yes the system is fucked, but it also makes the show difficult to follow. The nature of it being a one-woman show adds to the feeling of being bombarded with information and only towards the end of the show we get to understand the real issue being tackled here: Restorative Justice. At least, I think that’s what it’s about… Overall, the story leaves more to be desired. How was her father murdered? Was it an accident or just cold brutality? Knowing more details would hugely impact how the audience sees Roisin, the murderer and weather or not forgiveness could be possible.
The acting on the other hand was beautiful. Emily Tracey brings a huge amount of energy and genuine vulnerability to the character, keeping the audience enganged throughout the show.
All in all, Non-human animal has good bones but could benefit from an editor – someone to look at it from an outside perspective. It’s impressive that a two-person team were able to create this show and it deserves another chance and additional eyes on it to make it the show it can be.
Non-Human Animal runs until the 31st of August at Gilded Balloon Teviot with tickets available at https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/non-human-animal
Reviewer: Christina Schmidt
Reviewed: 22nd August 2026
North West End UK / Theatre Muse UK Rating:
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