Edinburgh Fringe 2025
A Series of Poorly Timed Questions
Shay Debney
Genre: Devised, Physical Theatre, Theatre
Venue: The Crate at Assembly George Square
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
Shay Debney delivers a high-energy performance built entirely on questions, silly, profound, and everything in between. With playful audience interaction, bursts of physical comedy, and moments of calm reflection, this exciting and inventive show turns curiosity itself into theatre, leaving you entertained and still asking questions long after it ends.
Review
I have been asking myself a lot of questions since seeing this performance. From the moment Shay Debney bursts on stage he launches into a rapid monologue of what ifs, hows, whys, and whens. The questions swing from silly to profound, and you cannot help but start to answer, though often it is too late as the next one has already arrived. They tumble so quickly that the mind cannot keep up, piling in like flyers thrust into your path on the Royal Mile. Yet the show is never one note. The fifty minutes whizz by in what feels like half that time, but there are also moments of calm, with space to pause and reflect.
There is a childlike curiosity and impish energy in his delivery, like an inner nervous voice forever asking “should I, shouldn’t I” and then asking again. Interaction with the audience is handled playfully and with care. Debney never pushes, always checks, and only draws in the willing. This leads to rare but memorable moments of depth, such as an audience member sharing their grief over an injured cat or another reflecting on what it means to love and be loved. The show could perhaps go further here. The glimpses of audience involvement were powerful, and Debney’s instinct for handling them with sensitivity and humour suggests he could do even more with this.
The simple staging, with a single light, hints at the theme of ideas, inspiration and the invitation to think outside the box. Physically Debney commands the stage with confidence. Bursts of dance, shifts in tempo, and carefully choreographed movements mirror the rhythm of the questions, adding both variety and spectacle while keeping the performance constantly engaging.
Opposable thumbs, brain size, walking upright, these are often seen as markers of human intelligence. But perhaps what truly sets us apart is our ability to ask questions, to question those questions, and to keep asking still more. Debney revels in that endless curiosity and turns the very act of questioning into entertaining and thought-provoking theatre.
This is exciting work, a playful, creative, and imaginative hour that leaves the audience both entertained and questioning the world around them long after the show has ended. With just a few more performances before the end of the Fringe, ask yourself this final question: what happens if you miss a show that you really should go and see?
