Edinburgh Fringe 2026

Introductions

Marnie and Martin Productions

Genre: Comedy, Musical Theatre, Political

Venue: Braw Venues, 96 George St

Festival: Edinburgh Fringe

Low Down

Review

Introductions.  You get just one chance to make the right impression at an introduction, right?  There’s no going back.  After that, the die is cast.

Dylan has a lamentable track record at this dating lark but is prepared to give it another go, and he’s desperate to make the right impression.  But his looks give him away and his views are decidedly – how shall we put this – unwoke, non-PC, possibly offensive even.  Hard right Tory?  Nah, Dylan makes Nigey-baby look like a softy lefty.

Paige has had similar ill-fortune when it comes to meeting the man of her dreams, possibly because she looks like a stereotypical “worried well tree hugger”, something that comes across in the careful, almost manicured manner of her conversation.

You can see where this is going already, I guess.  Introductions, a sparkling new musical written, developed and produced by Marnie and Martin productions, sees the aforementioned Dylan and Paige nervously embark on a relationship that, on the face of it, seems doomed to failure, given the relative polarities of their respective persona.

But what if one of them were to “edit” their views on matters political (and a few other things)?  Would that get them over the initial hurdle of potential rejection due to, for example, their neo-liberalism and “say it how you see it” approach to life?  But could they keep up the pretence?

That’s basically the plot, which then plays out over the ensuing seventy minutes or so of a dryly amusing, cleverly written and deftly delivered piece of musical theatre.  No prizes for guessing that it’s Dylan who goes full-on deceitful, to the extent that he makes Peter Mandelson seem like the sort of honest and upright chap that you’d be happy to invite around for dinner.  Duplicitous, moi?

Following the first stumblings over drinks, Dylan and Paige gradually get to know each other.  Or, more to the point, Dylan gets to work out precisely the correct line he needs to take on everything from oligarchs through to oligopolists via entrepreneurs, rich elites and genocidal dictators.

Their relationship slowly cements, to the point where Dylan is prepared to upsticks from sunny Kilwinning (wee town in the west of Scotland for any of you still with me) and move with Paige as her job relocates to the “Other Place” (aka London).  Cue a few sledgehammer digs at the resultant need to pay most of your salary to your landlord, the cost of everything being through the roof and the iniquities of the rising Gini coefficient as the rich guys eat all the pies.  And for all you a-political readers out there (both of you) the Gini coefficient is a statistical tool used to measure economic inequality, specifically how income or wealth is distributed across a population. Or not.

This being a musical high on the kitsch and even bigger when it comes to doling out the cheese, we pretty soon hit relationship crisis time, Paige is made redundant, relationship fissures turn into crevasses and they go their separate ways.  Yet fate (or in this case the scriptwriter’s desire for a happy ending) throws them together again back home in good old Kilwinning, giving them a chance to start over – this time on firmer ground.

Martin Green’s musical is full of charm and humour, particularly when it comes to the song lyrics.  OK, most of the numbers are what musicians would recognise as three chord wonders, possibly with a semitone key change chucked in for variety, but that actually helps the audience assimilate the lyrics, which are superbly crafted, often carry a hidden message, humour or both and are beautifully delivered by the quartet of actor/singers.

Ross Jamieson as Dylan exudes the shifty charm of someone desperate to make that good initial impression but who then finds himself dragged into a whirlpool of deceit as he’s introduced to the coterie of relatives and friends that are part of Paige’s (the charmingly innocent, earnest, “tree hugging” Abbie Lois) extensive support network.

Cue a range of characters and caricatures delivered as support roles by the excellent pair of Edan Glennie and DanielleClaire Ohare, who play Paige’s father (a grumpy old bigot just like a character from Chewin’ The Fat), Paige’s Granny (complete with ridiculous wig and whistling teeth), waitress, waiter, Paige’s BFF (best friend forever), her work colleagues – you get the picture.  These roles add real colour and surprising depth to the piece, as well as providing two further cracking singing voices to create a few harmony choruses, adding variety to the music.

It actually feels more rom-com with a side salad of politics than the other way around.  Sure, the political messages are slapped on with a five-inch paint brush, sometimes feeling like a sledgehammer cracking the proverbial nut but that’s part of the fun of this parody.  It’s also the only musical I’ve seen to feature a song with impeccable rhyming accounting terminology which, as an erstwhile bean counter, I admired and appreciated.  And anyone who can write witty lyrics that poke justifiable fun at the prospect of wokeism going into overdrive deserves credit for raising, in a gently amusing manner, the need for perspective.

This hidden gem is a very well scripted, scored, staged and consummately delivered piece of musical theatre that, because of the kitsch, parody and generous dollops of cheesiness, gets its essential message across with humour – that things are getting out of balance and, like Dylan and Paige, we probably need to work out how to effect a much needed, no blame reset.  Good luck with that one, Andy Burnham.

Support for new young local theatre companies has never been so important in Scotland. These guys are here for the duration of the Fringe and would love to welcome you to a show that comes thoroughly recommended.  Get enough folks into the comfortable auditorium and the laughter will take care of itself.  Definitely one for rom com lovers and political geeks.

Published August 14, 2026 by Tim Wilcock