Brighton Fringe 2026
W*nkers
House Red (Jordana Belaiche) & House White (Bel Parker)
Venue: The Actors
Festival: Brighton Fringe
Low Down
A show that begins with a dripping phallus and a bucket is never going to be mainstream. Co-creators Bel Parker and Jordana Belaiche as House White and House Red have fun with the joys of Spring “the horniest time of the year.”
It’s a loud, messy romp through characters, landscapes and accents.
Review
House Red and House White are definitely a party wine, designed to be glugged and likely to leave your head spinning. In (possibly) the fourth incarnation of their comedy adventures as W*nkers, Jordana Belaiche, British-Algerian writer, occultist, performer and Lecoq-trained clown actress Bel Parker are determined to entertain, with menace.
If you can picture the cast of Rivals at Cold Comfort Farm set in Victorian times you may get an idea of the range of genres and eras motored through in 60 minutes of non-stop action. We see simple country girls working out how to nab a man on May Day “Lead him round by the cod-piece. Like a cow” a mystical memory of killing the dragon of femininity, and a twisted take on speed dating with a game audience member.
Director Cecily Nash does her best to coalesce the mass of material but there’s much jumping back and forth in and out of characters in quick transitions. What through line there is revolves around gender politics, sexual freedom and ritual – whether English country customs or relationship protocols. In a diversion into male characters, a joke about Ketamine Therapy is inspired.
The majority of the feisty young audience here seemed little bothered about a lack of narrative, as am I. But the show is stronger when scenes are given time to breathe and movement slows. A jazz-backed film noir episode with choreographed hat doffing is a welcome respite from the manic energy.
As with the vignettes, songs range in genre from wistful folk to pop and both performers have strong voices, over amplified for this intimate space. Parker’s is surprisingly deep and husky for a House White.
The audience gets involved with Morris Dancing and, in the stand-out scene, a wedding. The writing here is sharpest; the bride to be’s ‘decision anxiety’ and passive aggressive coercion of friends is spot on. The betrothed, culled from the front row, is named Hostage and doesn’t meet a happy end.
W*nkers may be flawed but it’s exactly what a Fringe Festival is for, and if some of the pastiches don’t land it’s not for lack of ambition. Belaiche and Parker perform with fierce commitment in a show that has more ideas than it can properly serve.
Oh, and whoever contrived the highly pleasing sound effects, especially Boy’s bicycle, deserves a name-check.
