Award-winning hit of last year’s Fringe, When We Were Young features at theSpace on the Mile for another year running. Consisting of the first act of a two-act play, this show sees a group of young teenagers living in Govan in the 90s caught up in the young team culture. The tone is set by group leader Mooney (played by Liam Lambie) now grown-up as he reflects on his troubled youth. When We Were Young sends a powerful message of how systemic issues impact those living in under cared for areas – how easy it is to fall into gang violence and knife crime and how it affects the community.
This is such a quintessentially Scottish show, with Lambie’s writing so accurately capturing the crude and blunt essence of the ‘neds’. With sharp and quick-witted insults being hurled constantly, the dialogue is like a tennis match where someone always ends up as the punchline. The cast’s delivery is stellar, all having well-rounded and boldly characterised roles that had the audience in stitches. This great handle on the comedic aspect of the play lets us build a relationship with the characters and their world, building us up to then be hit by a freight train when a tragic stabbing occurs at the close of the play. We connect with the characters not only through laughing with them, but also by learning of their innermost worries and fears – getting a glimpse into their home lives and the environments that shaped them.
Geez A Break Productions are spreading an incredibly important moral, which as they state, is still very much relevant today. And with the ever-increasing sense of violence in the world, When We Were Young certainly hits home.
The company is also soon to be touring the full two-act version of the play in September across Scotland, and you absolutely don’t want to miss the chance to see the full scope of this play.
When We Were Young runs until the 29th of August 2026 with more information available at https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/when-we-were-young
Reviewer: Jessie Martin
Reviewed: 10th August 2026
North West End UK / Theatre Muse UK Rating:
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