Edinburgh Fringe 2026
Earth to Squiggy: A Lenny and The Squigtones Musical
Natalie Lander and Alex Ellis
Genre: Musical Theatre
Venue: theSpace@Surgeons Hall
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
Natalie Lander and Alex Ellis perform an affectionate tribute to Lander’s late father using a surreal premise that David Lander was abducted by aliens, is now living on Mars and that a convenient cosmic alignment will arise allowing daughter to connect with father if the pair of them blow the dust of Lenny and the Squigtones only LP and knock out a few of the tunes. Well, something like that anyway.
Review
Lenny and The Squigtones were a deliberately comic, fictional mock-rock group that started out playing vignette roles in the late ‘70s American sitcom Laverne & Shirley but proved to be so loved that they spun off into what became a highly regarded, popular double act, parodying the classic ‘50s/’60s “doo, babbidy do, babbidy doop, doop” rock rhythms popular at that time. Fronted by David L Lander (Squiggy Squiggman, “Squiggy”) and Michael McKean (Lenny Kosnowski, “Lenny”), their legacy endures through the live LP (remember them?) they issued, incorporating knowingly silly but musically refined songs such as “Night After Night,” “King of the Cars,” and “Love Is a Terrible Thing.”
Fast forward to 2026 and Natalie Lander (Lander’s daughter) and Alex Ellis have created (and perform) an affectionate tribute to Lander’s late father using a surreal premise that David Lander never died/passed/shuffled off (insert your own preferred idiom if required) but was abducted by aliens, is now living on Mars and that a convenient cosmic alignment will arise allowing daughter to connect with father if the pair of them blow the dust off that LP and knock out a few of the tunes. Well, something like that anyway.
That’s the premise for a high-energy, music filled tribute, the story unfolding in a series of quick-fire exchanges between Lander and Ellis – or Squigronica and Leni, to use their stage monikers – where the dialogue fills in the backstory of Lenny and The Squigtones, delivering a perfect verbal segue each time they alight upon the moment for the next song.
Lander and Ellis are both consummate actors with spot-on comic timing, bouncing off each other in what are clearly scripted exchanges but sound extemporised. They can both sing too, as well as being accomplished musicians in their own right, although the logistics of a short Fringe run on the other side of the pond from where they normally hang out meant the instruments stayed at home and backing tracks deployed in their stead.
Both voices are expressive, harmonic and come with crystal clear delivery, essential given they weren’t singing pop mush but lines with superb wit and scanning, often with a subtle message lurking under the apparent silliness. The set list was nicely curated too, with a mix of tempos and moods, from the crazy “King of the Cars” through to a beautifully reflective rendition of “Starcrossed” and a few more besides. And the topical references to the challenges of navigating Edinburgh’s Fringe were a nice touch.
There’s a danger here that we hit cliché overload in a bid to summarise this show – heartwarming, feel-good, reflective, tender, touching, fun, blah, blah, blah – you get the drift. But, I’ll tell you what, if either of my offspring were daft enough to write a tribute show after I’ve taken to pushing up the daisies, this would be what I’d go for. Funny, irreverent, warm and friendly. In modern parlance, this is a banger of a show, hidden in plain sight at theSpace Surgeons’ Hall. Pity it’s over so soon.
