Edinburgh Fringe 2026
Nocturnal is the New Sexy
Esme Sharpington
Genre: Theatre
Venue: The Space on the Mile
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
Alice and Ben are moving in together, not yet married, they have a relationship which is as strong as they could hope for. Unfortunately, Alice, an NHS call handler, is going to be put on nights for a significant period of time. This means that the only time they get to meet is when one comes out of the bed to allow the other to slip into it. Over time intimacy, exhaustion, working whilst the world sleeps means that Alice finds that there is an extension to her bed she knew nothing about when one day she comes home after resigning her post. In the meantime Ben, who has hidden from her that he has no longer got a job to go to, is struggling with any kind of connection to anybody.
Review
Esmee Sharpington returns. Last year she brought Find Your Feet Theatre Company at the Space at Venue 45 with Sharpington at the helm. Last year it was a dark comedy about ambition here she has turned her hand to something else she knows something about. The company have taken what hey know about, played with form, taken a view of life, brought into that, tension, to create a drama that entertains and asks questions.
Sharpington’s writing tells the tale of 20-somethings at a crossroads, performed by people at the right age with the right ideas. Eloquently directed, what works is that the format is being tinkered with. That was what really made it.
We begin with four people with toolbelts talking to us until our principal characters are helped to move in. once we find the narrative and not the commentary, they keep coming back and the scenes are woven between a convention established at the beginning. Some of the scene changes can be a tad chaotic, but this young company lean into it and use that to keep us all entertained by them. It’s a tiny space and one of the best sex scenes I’ve seen for some considerable time followed when they struggled to bring the bed on for the first time.
The writing was on point for most of the performance however, a few over the top moments – not convinced by sister Jules. The flat warming was difficult though the game saved the day.
Performances were great. These were people who knew what they were doing and how to give representational theatre as well as the authentic nature of intimate relationships and performances between all worked exceptionally well.
It was directed not just for the ideas contained in it but for the performance space. That worked particularly well.
Technically it came together – the set and the pot plant contributed as much as they should.
Sharpington may come back for a third year, and I would be delighted to see her do so. As for his storyline and production this still has plenty of options to be revived or developed further.
What you see is exactly what ought to be at the fringe. Good theatre, about something they know, which takes various views to explain and explore, allowing an audience to see a rounded beginning, middle and end that reminds itself it’s theatre and not some sort of televisual drama that needs to be adapted.
