Edinburgh Fringe 2026
Doughboys
Drunk Jester Players
Genre: character comedy, Comedy, LGBTQ+, New Writing, Satire
Venue: Greenside @ Riddles Court
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
Following sold-out shows in New York, Darcy Thompson’s Blackadder-style farce breaks new ground as a piece of witty and thoroughly entertaining sketch comedy.
Review
A ‘Doughboy’, for those unfamiliar, is what we British called the Americans for showing up to the war late. The word implies softness, as if the men in question are ‘half-baked’; just like Samantha Sands and her crew of female soldiers in disguise and the men drafted into the war who have little choice but to hide their soft edges in Darcy Thompson’s 80s-style satire of World War I. It is familiar, nostalgic ground, more like rhyme than repetition, as banter begins between the clueless, ditzy Haddock and his delightfully dry second-in-command, Duchamp. Already, I know I’m going to have a great time with these characters.
It is fantastic to see an American writer embrace the sardonic, quick-witted style of the classic British sitcoms I grew up on (Blackadder and Allo, Allo! came to mind as I watched), and to nail it so well. I am not easy to please when it comes to a genre so dear to my heart. Not only is Thompson a fantastic writer, but he is incredibly funny as the foppish Haddock who is very excited about the arrival of red-blooded American men to help with the war effort. Devon Alexander Young is equally hilarious as Duchamp, palpably tense in the lead up to a battle he will do anything to get out of.
The costumes are period accurate and the care taken with them adds authenticity where the details could have easily been skimped on.
As any responsible play should depicting WWI, there is plenty of care taken to challenge the idea of glory at any and all cost, and the sacrifices of war. It also challenges the misogyny and racism inherent in the time without moving into preachy territory, which is a hard line to walk, especially as it could have been all too easy to rely on offensive gender stereotypes through parodying the women’s ill-preparedness to fight a war. Instead, the women feel on equal footing with the men onstage, equally ridiculous and given more serious moments when appropriate. The actors have fantastic chemistry, clearly having fun with the material. Duchamp’s story is multi-faceted and interesting, and a lot of themes are touched on without feeling crowded. It would be fantastic to see a full-length play that could expand on them further.
Sometimes, the dialogue moves a little too fast, and some words are lost as the actors struggle to get their mouths around it. Apart from that, there is little to criticise; the play is a triumph all-round and a great choice for fringe-goers young and older alike.
