Edinburgh Fringe 2026

How To Fix A Fairytale

Papaver Productions

Genre: Comedy, Improvised Theatre, Musical Theatre

Venue: Mint Studio at Greenside at George Street

Festival: Edinburgh Fringe

Low Down

Review

Once upon a time, in the Mint Studio at Greenside at George street, two actors and a pianist went on a quest for their happily ever after. They had little more than their quick wit, miming skills, and some musical instruments. Where did the journey take them? Well, in this show, the power of narrative is firmly in the hands of the audience.

It was perfect for a fun and family-friendly start to the morning, a little further away from the chaos of the mile. On the last weekend of the fringe, when huge crowds and depleted savings are starting to get you down, enter Papava Productions with their show How To Fix A Fairytale, with all the magic and whimsy you could need to brighten up the rainy day.

The audience’s role begins almost immediately. One half of the performing duo, Toby Trusted, stood tall and armed with a triangle. We were quickly trained in Pavlovian fashion to become active participants in the story. Every cheerful ding signalled a chance for new suggestions, whether that meant solving a problem or sending the heroes in an entirely unexpected direction. Our conditioning was always rewarded with more comic moments, excitement in the plot, and sometimes even a musical number. For our story, we were in a blue forest and trying to look after a magical mouse. Part improv, part choose-your-own-adventure, and fully a musical comedy escapade that reminds you of your favourite fairytales. We had the power and we felt it with glee, as if the actors were in on the joke.

Whilst on this quest, they entertained us with popular musical theatre numbers with their own adjustment to the lyrics added to the choose your own adventure feel, played live on stage by Sydney Nguyen. Particular highlights were Therapy from Tick, Tick.. Boom! and a running gag about whether or not they will do a song from Wicked. Nguyen also has another key part to play in the story, depending on the choices the audience makes. Her breaks of the fourth wall to talk sense into the characters added new energy and were hilarious.

This show thrives on unpredictability. The cast were impressively able to use even the most random contributions, creating the feeling that we were genuinely helping to write the fairytale as it unfolded. Although it was an extra delight whenever they reacted to a particularly difficult suggestion, responding with “That’s going to be difficult,” creating huge laughs from us before moving on with the story.

Toby Trusted was our villain, a land-grabbing monarch, and the narrator, wielding the plot with care and obvious joy, whilst Julia Da Costa lead the adventure with warmth and great comic timing as the hero of our story. While some quieter moments occasionally struggled to carry to every corner of the room, her performance brought plenty of  to the production and helped anchor even the most chaotic detours that were inspired (or hindered) by the audience.

One of the show’s greatest strengths is its commitment to imagination. For much of the performance, props and landscapes are mimed. So when Trusted suddenly appeared with a frog puppet, it was all the more delightful. It was an unexpected reveal that earned a huge response from the audience, helped by Trusted’s excellent puppeteering.

The result was a wonderfully collaborative experience, with a sense of shared discovery. This is the kind of show you could go to more than once and I wish I’d had been able to. The company met whilst in Cambridge and have big plans to take the show elsewhere on tour so you just might be able to catch them. We shall have to wait for them to tour or to catch them again next year.

Published August 31, 2026 by Clare Roberts