Philosophy of the World – Summerhall

Every now and then at the Edinburgh Fringe, a show comes along that seems to fracture theatrical logic entirely—while still leaving you entirely gripped. Philosophy of the World, devised by the experimental collective In Bed With My Brother, is one of the most original, unsettling, and oddly moving performances I’ve seen in years. It may well go on to become a cult classic.

The show is inspired by The Shaggs, a 1960s rock band made up of three sisters from New Hampshire, whose father was convinced they were destined for greatness. That father, Austin Wiggin Jr., pulled them out of school, forced them to practise endlessly, and produced their only album—widely derided at the time, but now held up as an artefact of outsider art. Philosophy of the World takes this story and explodes it into something anarchic, surreal, and deeply layered.

The performers – Nora Alexander, Dora Lynn, and Kat Cory – create an atmosphere that is part rave, part nightmare, part school play gone wrong. They’re joined by guest performer Nigel Barrett, who steps in as various antagonistic authority figures – most potently a patriarchal force whose presence looms uncomfortably large. The show plays fast and loose with form: there’s techno music, shouted repetition, audience participation (including the throwing of empty cans of Coca-Cola), and surreal visual motifs. Everyone gets a can on entry. Everyone becomes complicit.

What begins as chaotic performance art soon reveals itself to be disturbingly precise. I found myself laughing out loud at moments when the rest of the audience sat in stunned silence. It’s funny, yes—but it’s also disturbing, philosophical, and frequently absurd. There are shades of Monty Python in its silliness, but also something darker and lonelier underneath.

What resonated most was the question of agency. When the performers are given total freedom – no script, no instruction – they freeze. They’re unable to act. The legacy of their fictional father (and, by extension, all systems of control) runs so deep that they’ve forgotten how to choose. This becomes a chilling metaphor not only for artistic paralysis but also for cultural indoctrination.

There are tangents aplenty – about the Illuminati, about AI, about Coca-Cola’s capitalist grip on identity, about the mysterious death of Andy Warhol. It’s overwhelming, but intentionally so. The show asks: what happens when too many threads pull at your attention, and none lead anywhere safe?

Philosophy of the World is, frankly, odd. There’s no neat structure, no reliable protagonist, no satisfying resolution. But it’s in that oddness that it finds its power. The performance stays with you, not for its polish, but for its chaos.

Imagine if you will, Joe Jackson raised The Goodies in a soundproof basement, fed them nothing but Red Bull and conspiracy theories, then let them loose on a Fringe stage with a sound system and zero supervision.

It’s not for everyone. But for those open to the experience, it’s unforgettable.

22:45 Daily (except 11^th and 18^th) Till 25^th August

https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/philosophy-of-the-world

Reviewer: Greg Holstead

Reviewed: 6^th August 2025

North West End UK Rating: 5

Running time – 1hr