Fringe Review: WENCH, Bluebell at Underbelly, George Square
Besties, shows at the Fringe go on until the early hours of the morning, but this particular reviewer simply cannot be trusted to be seeing anything past midnight! Our latest late-night venture was the 10:45pm Wench, performed by Drag Idol winner Felix La Freak.
The show takes us through the life and many incarnations of its central character, moving between different versions of Felix's world and identity as they search for where they belong. We travel from Salem to cabaret, from aspiring performer to pop star and eventually into the world of escorting, with the whole thing tied together by themes of desire, identity, survival and the pursuit of being seen. Or, at least, that's how we interpreted the journey.
And there is some seriously impressive writing here.
Felix is a talented lyricist, songwriter and performer, and there are moments where the quality of the material shines through. There is clearly the heart of a really compelling show here, and Felix has created a central character with plenty of potential.
Where it became slightly jarring for us was in the transitions and the way the story moves between these different chapters. At times, it felt as though we were being moved from one section to another without quite enough of a bridge to understand why we were going there. Felix told us at the end that they have created this journey completely independently, and we genuinely admire that, but sometimes a show needs someone else in the room to say, “This is what the audience is seeing, and this is the journey they're actually going on.”
For us, what would make Wench really soar would be more audience connection. Bring us further into Felix's world and give us more reason to invest emotionally in the character as they move through these different identities and experiences. The more we understand what Felix wants, the more those transformations will land.
There are also places where the choreography could be tightened and made more dynamic, while a clearer theatrical device for the transitions would help the changes happen without occasionally feeling like Felix is simply running offstage to get ready for the next section.
But Felix, please don't apologise for any of this.
Don't apologise for the size of the space. Don't apologise for the theatricality. This is the Fringe. We suspend our disbelief here! If you jump, curl yourself into a ball and we hear a splash, we completely believe you've just jumped off a bridge.
What matters is that you've already created the heart of something really special.
The writing is impressive, the performer is charismatic and there is a wonderfully rebellious spirit running through Wench. Now it needs a few more people in the room to help connect those pieces, find the throughline and make the journey as clear and exciting for the audience as it clearly is in Felix's head.
Wench is the seed of something gloriously rebellious.
*** Three stars
Reviewed by: James Edge
Wench plays at Edinburgh Festival Fringe until 30 Aug, with further info here.
