Student Theatre at Glasgow brings their satirical and raunchy rendition of ITV’s hit reality show Love Island to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Summer Fling, written and directed by Grace Donaldson, follows the journey of four Love Island contestants navigating their morality and sexuality as they compete to win the grand prize of £100,000, not to mention the highly sought after fast-fashion brand deal. This play highlights the social concerns and qualms surrounding reality television in a brassy but intelligent approach. Following the success of STAG’s 2024 fringe show, Lads of the Flies (also written and directed by Donaldson), it’s clear that STAG and their audiences hold great appreciation for Donaldson’s quick-wit and playful direction. Lola Gibbons (playing Maisie) and Erin Bruff (playing Ollie) also featured in last year’s STAG Fringe run, and their return is no surprise given their outlandishly entertaining acting style that aligns perfectly with Donaldson’s directorial vision. This is a company that thrives off of irony delivered in a manner of high camp. Donaldson’s jokes are incredibly gutsy (e.g. Gibbons’ character has a hidden inclination towards pegging) but are executed with tact, although I wouldn’t suggest bringing your granny along to see it.
The cast of four bring an infectious energy to the play – they aren’t afraid to play around with the material and all bring a bold and spirited attitude to their work – the fun they have in their performance encourages the audience to also have fun. Making up the other two members of the cast are Savannah Meriweather (playing Donna) and George Rogers (playing Aaron). Meriweather brings a cool grounding to the piece amidst the chaos, acting as the antagonist, playing mind games with the other characters all while covering up the fact that she is riddled with a huge case of chlamydia. Rogers had perhaps the silliest character, playing the role of the new-age “woke” white man – meanwhile being the landlord of five properties and objectifying the women throughout. Rogers truly got stuck in to his role – a favourite moment of mine of course had to be him playing the tickle monster. And of course Gibbons and Bruff were spectacular too, bringing depth to their seemingly very silly characters – achieving both laughter and empathy from the audience.
This play is an unpredictable and tumultuous show which addresses very poignant issues with on-the-nose humour and clever dialogue – a guaranteed afternoon of fun, and a must-watch – especially for the big twist at the end which you’ll just have to see for yourself. It certainly was “a bit of me” as they say.
Summer Fling runs until the 9th of August at theSpace @ Niddry Street with tickets available at https://www.thespaceuk.com/shows/2025/
Reviewer: Jessie Martin
Reviewed: 1st August 2025
North West End UK Rating: