Edinburgh Fringe 2026

Hello Beach

Jasmine Cole Productions

Genre: Children's Theatre, Puppetry

Venue: Assembly George Square Gardens

Festival: Edinburgh Fringe

Low Down

Review

Babies and parents are invited to sit around a handmade playmat representing the beach – rock pools, shells and sunscreen bottles scattered around. A storyteller sits within the group and guides the audience in story, sign and song on this day at the beach. Also in the cast are a puppeteer and a singer. A series of puppet characters join the beach, and we interact with them on a series of little adventures – from finding a shell for a crab to a seagull coming to eat our picnic.

This is an ambitious piece using many different sensory tools to keep a group of under-2s engaged. The story flows from song to event to activity beautifully and is written to really complement the strong use of keyword signing. The storyteller has a quiet but engaging presence which successfully drew many of the children in. Despite the gentle tone of the whole piece, the storyteller was clear enough to cut through the noise of a gaggle of babies and toddlers. There were some moments where things got a bit too busy and the story was perhaps lost, but we were pulled back in expertly.

Intimacy and warmth were successfully created through the staging of the piece, with the beautifully constructed playmat ‘beach’ a clear space for the story to unfold with the audience in it. Clear thought and understanding of the audience age group had been put into this tactile space, with carefully made objects designed to offer great sensory play during the show. The lighting added focus and intimacy to the performance, with a sparkle to the playmat and a sense of warmth at the beach. Lighting was also used well as another tool to move the storyline along and highlighted some of the standout moments in the show for me – the height of the midday sun and the sparkle of the waves.

The puppetry was very successful, moving from a tiny crab that wee ones had to get up close to observe, to a seagull which was beautifully observed and drew the children in. The largest puppet, a seal, was perhaps, at least for our showing, the least successful, possibly slightly too large as a focal point for the age group when there was so much going on down at floor level.

I personally was in awe of the show’s ability to engage my child in something so gentle and beautiful. Seeing his wonder at the sea waves and engaging with the puppets was a real delight. For our showing and my child, the last five minutes were tricky – there were tears and big emotions starting to appear around the audience. This may suggest the show was a little too long, but it is hard to unpick this from the circumstances of our individual showing.

Hello Beach is a wonderfully layered, inclusive performance to capture the attention and start an enjoyment of theatre at a very young age. The piece as a whole felt very ambitious – ambition that has paid off beautifully.

Published August 11, 2026 by Hannah Gray