Brighton Year-Round 2026
Low Down
Queertre bring their queer comedic drama to Brighton Fringe, a play that “follows the human personification of a pile of cosy jumpers, a cripple punk mall goth, and a token “straight” as they join a queer book club looking for community. Unfortunately for Will, Ezra, and Josh, no other members show up, and it’s up to them to keep the club going. As the three undergo the trials and tribulations of getting everyone to actually read the book, they struggle to navigate their individual issues and interpersonal relationships.”
Review
Three young actors, Calum Lynn Dwyer, Syd Hymanson and Trevor Telesz bring confident and accomplished performances to this intense and tightly written three-hander in the intimate Yellow Book Bar upstairs theatre space as part of Sweet Fest 2026.
It is earnest and sincere in intention but rarely preachy and makes important observations about how we hide who we are for fear of consequences and judgment, and also how we find the way to foreground our true sense of self. Perhaps it is only through the connections we make in groups that we can truly express our individuality. The play cleverly showcases that emergence, through a witty script, sharp observation, and some very authentic interplay between the three characters. The dynamics between the three actors add richness to the evolving story and the banter between them, and there are some well penned and delivered one liners throughout the piece interspersed with some shorter monologues that add to the diversity of the evolving conversations.
Essentially it is a play about three different human souls finding their way in the world through their meeting regularly. It’s a book club but the books are never as important to the actors or the drama is what evolves between them in the real world, but somehow the books are also triggers, catalysts, and represent the necessary common ground for these three to meet at this stage of their lives and learn something from each other and in some cases transform.
Life is often a search for common ground but the paradox is they are both unique, and also united. The human condition is to be both individual and collective. The setting of a book club allows the play to shine in its simplicity and it never becomes too fussy and clumsy, in writing that allows comedy and melodrama to play into each other creating a synergy amongst the cast and a small audience that were happy to lean in for the performance I attended.
Stagecraft can be improved with more tightly drawn entrances and exits and the scope for sharper blocking. Much of the dialogue is fast paced and all three actors are more than on top of their material and inhabit their characters authentically and convincingly.
This is a play not only about sexual identity but also about disability, and that work is rare on the fringe scene and yet it is important material to cover. There is a bit of a polemic here about how we express ourselves and how we are accepted particularly when our identity is complex. The writing pulls this off very effectively and there was scope for the play to be a bit longer to allow characters and some of these important narratives to develop further. But that’s not a criticism of a play that is successful because of its length and it’s simply to point out that that success could lead to further elaboration and development in the future.
So even though staging is a little bit rough around the edges, it is the quality of the acting and writing that lifts this simply staged but complex play into being highly recommended.
