Edinburgh Fringe 2025
Buzz
Marshall Cordell and Trish Lyons presents
Genre: Autobiography, Solo Show
Venue: Assembly George St
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
Buzz chronicles tragic events in the life of Trish Lyons, an artist whose sense of self is shattered. Through dark humour and poetic storytelling, Trish shares her turbulent journey – from living in fear to reclaiming her life. Her story unfolds in images as visions, fragments of memory and artworks, moving between past and present as she navigates the art of perception – of seeing and being seen, of disappearing and of witnessing.
Review
Trish Lyons’ Buzz is a beautifully spoken, quietly powerful piece of storytelling that gently unfolds a true-life journey through trauma, misdiagnosis, and eventual recovery. Described as kaleidoscopic – part lecture, part confessional, part hymn to survival it is sensitive, funny, and gripping – but it takes a little patience to find its dramatic arc.
At first, the structure feels episodic – fragments of literature, references to Kafka and Dickinson, memories of stalking and a neighbour’s suicide. The early moments are treated as background, preludes rather than anchors. Yet they are central, we later realise, to the PTSD that underpins everything. A clearer threading of these early traumas throughout would strengthen the emotional and narrative arc.
The title Buzz is revealed mid-show, when antidepressants cause her brain to quite literally buzz – a moment marked by a subtle but effective shift in sound and light. There’s scope for even more of this, especially given Trish’s background as an artist. A lovely moment of audience interaction using a small sculpture hints at the creative potential still to be tapped.
Much of the show’s strength lies in its quieter details: a harrowing account of being gaslit in hospital after witnessing drug dealing between staff and patient, later validated when that same doctor is charged.
Trish’s story of finally finding a female psychiatrist who helped her taper off a cocktail of medications, diagnose malnutrition, and truly begin to heal, is moving and empowering. It’s a tale of survival told with gentle humour, introspection, and clarity.
While the pace remains soft and energy low-key throughout, it suits the reflective tone. With some tightening and more confident use of visual and creative elements, Buzz could truly shine. As it stands, it’s a compelling and compassionate hidden gem.
