Fringe review: HOLE!, Underbelly Cowgate

Once in a while there’s a show that’s so unique and so unashamedly and unapologetically itself that it takes the Fringe by storm. We come to the Fringe each year and word often spreads of the shows that are the ‘must sees’ and if you were to tell us that this year the show would have been “a musical about butt plugs”, we’d have been surprised….actually this is the Fringe…maybe we wouldn’t be surprised!

This is a classic Fringe success story created by the team of American Sing-Song. This is their first Fringe, their first show only sold four tickets, and they have just announced that they’ve sold out the last 15 performances of the run, which is absolutely incredible, but after seeing the show, not surprising!

The story follows the cult of Garth. Garth has a vision that there will be a great reckoning and the only way not to perish is to keep a butt plug constantly inserted where the sun don’t shine….Garth opts for wooden butt plugs because well…..”this isn’t about pleasure”. The vision proves too and the majority of humanity are scooped up into the sky by their rectums and this leaves the cult of Garth and a few other groups of ‘sinners’ to wander the earth and avoid the reckoning. This leaves us, the audience, with lots of questions, especially…how do they go to the loo? You’ll have to watch to find out.

Created by musical writing duo Jake Brasch and Nadja Milena, this show is one of the funniest thing’s we’ve ever seen. The songs are catchy, the acting and singing is top quality and most importantly, the storytelling is succinct and captivating. There are twists and turns that leave the audience gasping and, at times, on the verge of tears. All of this is heightened by fantastic foley work as well.

This may be American Sing-Song’s first Edinburgh Fringe but we hope it wont be their last as they all have all the makings to be the Fringe’s next cult favourite writing duo.

A hole in one!

***** Five stars

Reviewed by: James Edge

HOLE! plays at Edinburgh Festival Fringe until 24 August, with further info here.