Brighton Fringe 2026
Ironworks Pick Of The Fringe
Ironworks Studios
Genre: Cabaret, character comedy, Solo Show, Theatre
Venue: Ironworks
Festival: Brighton Fringe
Low Down
Iron Works Pick Of The Fringe provides highlights of the fringe which are suitable for a variety of tastes. From Drag acts to plays, Shakespeare to hairdressing, there is something for everyone. The big question is which ones will you attend?
Review
Paul Diello expertly leads a fast paced variety of performers as we explore snapshots of their performances.
Alice D Bloomer as Puck from For Puck’s Sake opens the night with a whimsical take on a much loved Shakespearian character. Although at times the pace needed to be maintained, the concept was interesting and the audience participation enjoyable.
Percy NYX shared an engaging performance loosely based on The Very Hungry Caterpillar – be warned this is not suitable for children- we were engaged, it was humorous with the cake and cream an obvious highlight and we were left wanting more.
Philippine Theatre shared a hypnotic video of excerpts from their performance and an engaging talk about the behind the scenes elements as well as their charitable cause. The combination of their choice of clips and the information shared left us hoping to see the performance.
Madam Isolde provided some humorous moments – highlight being the star sign section and song ” not by the bins”. Although there were some technical issues, the performer ( Tristan Wolf) recovered well. The issues were sufficiently entertaining that we were left hoping they would be integrated into the performance.
Bitesize Breakfast shared a fast paced, punchy, highly amusing sketch Sweet Smell Of Lemon, which focused on selling and character observations with the added comic effect of choosing audience members as their customers.
Sex, Drugs and DNB by Bea Clothes provided a snap shot of the life of a young addict. What started as something humorous and bordering on nostalgic developed into something much deeper. At times the pace needed to be maintained, but it was thought provoking.
Paul Diello shared a short clip of his 80’s/90’s show. The range of songs were appealing, with nostalgic favourites selected. However, having seen his show ” like Lovers Do”, it’s possible the video didn’t reflect the extent of his talent.
Felix Le Freak kept the audience engaged and enthralled with an excerpt from Wench, a folk horror comedy.
Aimee Cooper as Kitty Cassis had the audience roaring with laughter in this character comedy exert- the insight into the public and the high pitched squawk like ” hiya” particularly brought many smiles.
Pearl and Dean gave a polished, comical performance. The duo who identify as ” the most heterosexual couple in Brighton” got the audience up singing and dancing. Their engaging and enjoyable performance combined with their well produced costumes left us desperate for more.
Overall the night was good and enjoyable. There were a variety of forms of performance and it gave us the opportunity to see ten minute excerpts of performances we may not have considered watching.
I recommend this show for the quality of the different acts in this venue which is perfect for cabaret and variety. You get everything from cabaret to theatre, music to comedy so for the price of one ticket it’s recommended.
