Edinburgh Fringe 2026
1518: The Dancing Plague
Open Variations Theater
Genre: Dance, Dark Comedy
Venue: theSpace Triplex
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
“1518: The Dancing Plague” is a re-imagining of events in 1518 when a strange phenomenon hit Strasbourg in which large numbers of people reportedly danced for days or weeks as if unable to stop. Hannah Ponturo’s refreshingly light touch turns what’s a potentially scary piece of storytelling into something of a farcical romp, albeit one with its share of tender moments.
Review
The joint’s a buzzin’ in the bowels of theSpaceUK Triplex as the latest audience, responding to the company’s invitation to “shake your a$$ and dance ’til you (hopefully don’t) die”, sashays into the venue to the strains of the instantly recognisable “Ding Dong! Merrily on High”, a modern carol based around a 16th Century Renaissance tune. It’s a clever link to kick off Open Variations Theater’s 1518: The Dancing Plague, a satirical take with an occasional darker twist on the dancing plague that hit Strasbourg (then part of the Holy Roman Empire) in, funnily enough, 1518.
The plague was a reported outbreak of involuntary dancing, something historians variously labelled as dancing mania or choreomania, where dancers bopped until they dropped in true Renaissance fashion. Think Weegies on a Saturday night and you’ll get the picture.
The story goes that a woman, usually called Frau Troffea, started strutting her stuff in the streets at some point in July, continuing for weeks and sucking in hundreds of others in an impromptu festival of dance that finally staggered to a halt at the end of August, thereby laying down the template for the modern-day madness that’s the Edinburgh Fringe.
The outbreak remains a vivid, if historically elusive, example of how fear, social pressure and belief can spread through a community. And writer/director Hannah Ponturo’s deftly comedic script finds contemporary echoes in the way misinformation, panic and opportunism can still flourish in a crisis, online or off.
Ponturo’s refreshingly light touch turns what’s a potentially scary piece of storytelling into something of a farcical romp, albeit one with its share of tender moments. Deploying a flamboyantly attired drag queen as the narrator (and a few other things) really worked, keeping the plot moving, the audience on track and breaking the tension with sharply satirical asides.
The central theme is the triangle between peasant sisters Margaret and Katherine and the serendipitous rekindling of the latter’s relationship with Anna (who joins the sisters in servitude), the obvious affection and tenderness of the two lovers contrasting with the mayhem and madness that is unfolding around them. A series of cleverly layered sub-plots spin off this central theme, each of which unfolds across what’s a very busy sixty minutes of comings and goings, utilising the tight confines of the venue to the full and showcasing the universally strong cast’s abilities to portray an ever changing array of the funny and the farcical.
Attention to detail in this production is evident throughout; the two peasants gawping and giggling at, but never distracting from, the lovers’ tender reunion; the label still attached to caricature John The Doctor’s face mask; the ridiculous false beard sported by the town crier are but a few examples. The priest looking to monetise the sale of indulgences and the snake-oil peddling doctor also stand out and are classic illustrations of the conman’s art, variants of which are alive and flourishing today.
Open Variations Theater has made an obscure historical episode seem worryingly relevant today. Beneath the false beards, ridiculous masks and high-camp delivery lies a subtle warning about what can happen when fear, rumour and self-interest begin to matter more, as truth gets tossed out the window. Captivating theatre that works on more than one level. Definitely one to seek out.
