Edinburgh Fringe 2026
Low Down
When Tim is brought in for questioning, he knows he’s in for the third degree. But nothing could prepare him for what the trio of desperate detectives have in store. Rookie DI’s with ridiculous ideas, a skittish psychologist, a problematic polygraph and a DCI on a mission of his own, the insane interrogation builds to a rousing finale unfold, as the police pull out every trick in the book to get the apparently timorous Tim’s confession.
Review
Long Face are back, following up on the success of last year’s debut show Holly Street with another burst of absurdist anarchy, this time set in a police station interview room, with Is This Your First Crime?
Tim is sitting at a table, hands cuffed, having had his collar felt by DCI Thorn, the “Fledgling Fire Starter” fitting the bill as the most likely suspect behind the spate of recent fires including those in Edinburgh’s Princes Street and on Arthur’s Seat, clever, topical references to relatable incidents that occurred in the past couple of months.
DCI Thorn is perpetually irate at the numpties he’s forced to work with in this station – they’re hampering his career progression. So, he’s is determined to solve this case on his own, stopping at nothing in his quest to extract a confession from the apparently timorous figure before him. But he’s underestimated the tenacity of rookie DIs Wilson and Summerville, keen to make their mark as solvers of the toughest crimes as a means of forging glittering careers as boys in blue.
However, our dumb duet haven’t read the simple rules laid down in the “idiot’s guide to solving crime” pamphlet left lying casually on the interview room table, leading to a series of calamities as they play successive “good cop, good cop”, “bad cop, bad cop” scenes with physical theatre that harks back to the great days of the silent movies – think Laurel and Hardy in their pre-talkie era and you’ll have some idea of the structure, or lack of it.
Cue an hour of absurdist anarchy as the early, recognisable comedy segues seamlessly into a plot that makes labyrinthine seem like a major understatement, taking the audience on a rollercoaster of a ride where no-one is who you think they are and the only sane brain in the room appears to be the suspected perpetrator of the felonies. But Timorous Tim refuses to cough up a convenient confession, precipitating a frenetic denouement that catches everyone completely by surprise.
There is much to recommend this well scripted, tightly choreographed piece of absurdist, comedic, physical theatre that explores how police investigations work, or don’t in this case. The script is full of hilarious one-line asides (“butter my crumpets”, “blue-brained idiot” and “I don’t speak nincompoop” gives you the general idea), rapid fire dialogue, alliteration, silliness and a lot of physical theatre packed into a very tight space.
Each of the five strong troupe has put a lot of thought into the development and delivery of their respective character or, in some cases, caricature. Cameron Millar (Tim) was utterly convincing as a potential suspect, but one with the brains to know that, given enough rope, the motley quartet of simple sleuths tasked with extracting his confession would be fooled by their own tomfoolery. Lewis McLaughlin (DCI Thorn) was the epitome of the “hard man” copper, gnarled, angry, unforgiving and, in keeping with the tenor of the piece, utterly useless.
Jed Bury (rookie DI Summerville) continues to develop his skills as the goofy, naive and occasionally useful idiot who is an essential part of this kind of production and Xander Arron-Gonzalez (rookie DI Wilson) was similarly “off the wall”, matching his partner’s idiocy with panache. Finally, Jonah Scorsbie (Dr Stiltskin, the police psychologist, who was also responsible for scripting this nonsense) was as mad as a box of frogs – stereotypical, yes, but worryingly like some of those I know in that profession.
Sean Tennant’s tight direction ensured the quintet used every inch of the usual small Fringe stage and there was strong support in the form of sound and lighting that reflected the onstage action.
OK, OK, it’s an improbable script with an even more improbable ending but what the heck! It’s a show that’s clearly been conceived with absurdity and enjoyment in mind, where you can willingly suspend your disbelief as it draws you into the farcical web of intrigue unfolding before you. You leave feeling thankful that nothing like this could ever happen in a real world police investigation. Could it? Would it?
Judging by the audience reaction, Long Face have delivered another belter of a show, one that matches last year’s Holly Street in absurdist anarchy with just that worrying hint of reality. Highly recommended.
