Edinburgh Fringe 2026
Book of Shadows
Book of Shadowz
Genre: Comedic, Puppetry, Theatre
Venue: Underbelly
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
Two puppeteers cast giant shadows to conjure a hilarious occult mystery. Teenage sceptic Vi is forced to live with her grandmother, who claims to be the 200-year-old mystic and spiritual guru Madam Blavatsky. When Vi’s friends begin to disappear, she reluctantly teams up with Granny to uncover a conspiracy of séances, unhinged cultists and suspiciously interested government agents.
Review
Tiny Frog Wizard with blue limbs hides secrets, so he says and he tells us magic is real! After this vibrant introduction the story begins on a huge screen covering most of the back wall in this moody cavernous theatre space. Gorgeous images of characters in the story are projected on the screen by hand in front of us. In fact, we see hundreds of images beautifully designed and drawn by Seri Yanai, one half of the company, Mochinosa, Book of Shadowz, from Japan. Daniel Wishes is the other member of the company and he performs a dozen or so voices with whip smart wit as Seri deftly changes the images that are projected to tell the story. There is a definite Manga influence in the images of this company and they are very effective. Although the illustrations are thick black line drawings there is a slight tinge of colour to each image, which adds depth and life to them.
The story they bring to life is a curious mix of many characters, and possibly stories – that all meld together in this entertaining show. There is a girl called Vi whose father forbids her to look at pictures, or read fiction fearing that she will change from this strict upbringing. Jimmy the Wizard appears and the story connects with the audience! Humour, images, fiction (that may or not be real) photos and suddenly it’s a seance! Vi is sent off to live with Madam Blavatsky, a mystic, spiritual guru and Vi’s Granny where they meet undercover agents and people rom the dark world. It’s a gritty, pithy, journey full of mayhem and mischief.
Both Yanai and Wishes sit on stage at a table skillfully changing and manipulating the images while each voices the characters. Yanai’s voicing of Vi only is very compelling and sensitive especially when she moves the visual story along rapidly changing images at the same time! Wishes changes from gruff and raspy to authoritative voices instantly with ease and has a way with words that resonates with the audience.
More themes that come up in this story include a King, a Demon, tarot cards, India, cults, and more! Is magic real? Does it exist? Maybe it depends on what is in one’s mind! Yanoi and Wishes together with their magical Book of Shadows (plus Tiny Frog Wizard!) will take you away into their stylish epic Japanese influenced comic strip world of imagination through their edgy visual storytelling.
