Edinburgh Fringe 2026

The Shocking Truth About Flat Earth

Wolverhampton Grand Theatre

Genre: Comedy, Musical Theatre, Theatre

Venue: Queen Dome at Pleasance Dome

Festival: Edinburgh Fringe

Low Down

Review

I didn’t expect to nearly be in tears over a show about road-tripping to find out if the earth is flat, but I was.

Sharon Hargreaves has gone down the rabbit hole and through a Shakespearean mishap of identity, finds herself mistaken for conspiracy royalty at the Flat Earthers Convention. Through her own desire to get to the truth, she ends up on a road trip across the world with two young friendless YouTubers, a man who joins them sort of under duress, and her long suffering best friend in tow. With every moment streamed online and with someone on their tail, this team of misfits are determined to get to the ice wall in Antarctica and film the edge of the earth…the flat edge. Obviously. Because the earth is clearly flat and the rest of us are asleep and don’t want to think for ourselves.

But this show is not just an enjoyable misadventure. It has surprising depth. Whilst in many ways it is what you would expect: a fun, hilarious critique of pseudo-science and dubious reasoning. However, it is also an earnest exploration of grief. Sharon’s mum, whom she was a carer for, has passed away recently and her best friend is a widow. Both women are still reeling from their losses and showing it in different ways. Through fantastic dancing and clever lyrics, we watch as our characters are led down dangerous, crazy paths both theoretically and quite literally. This show does a great job of demonstrating how vulnerable people looking for connection, community, and support, can be exploited.

The Shocking Truth About Flat Earth is packed with super catchy, energetic songs, brought to the stage through a combination of live keyboard accompaniment and recorded music that gives the production a full sound. Emma Norman, in the lead role as Sharon Hargreaves, is particularly impressive. She captivated the audience with her likeability and remarkable vocal range, effortlessly moving from deep, husky tones to soaring soprano vibrato.

The comedy is consistently strong, with the vast majority of the jokes landing well. One standout musical number delivers an unexpected and exciting plot twist, revealing that people are idiots and will often believe almost anything they are told, no matter how absurd. Some of the fourth wall breaks were funny and felt well-earned, such as the quip about how some more exposition will be revealed when they do their full west end run. When Emma Thornett, who was cheeky and loveable throughout, sang her brilliant solo verse before looking pointedly at a man in the front to tell him that that was their only solo in the show, we burst into rapturous applause for her.

Other breaks in character to engineer the scene changes felt clunkier, such as telling us that we are now in a dream sequence or an actor grabbing the suitcase and then telling us directly that this moment is important to the plot. It felt like taking a beat longer on her bumping into the case would have also done the trick, but as they said, they had to trim things down for the run. And with a show and cast this good, these tweaks could be easily forgiven.

Despite its satirical take on misinformation and conspiracy theories, the show ultimately has a heart-warming message: families are reunited, relationships are repaired, and characters learn from their mistakes. It all comes together in a genuinely uplifting happy ending.

This show was thoroughly enjoyable and a great production. But don’t believe everything you see or read online. If you really want to know how great this show is, you’ll have to find out the truth for yourself when they do their inevitable west end run.

Published August 31, 2026 by Clare Roberts