Edinburgh Fringe 2026
They’re Just Small Town (Northern) Lads
Nathan Jonathan
Genre: Comedic, Drama, New Writing, Solo Play
Venue: Summerhall
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
In a festival that often sidelines authentic Northern voices by the sheer parameters needed to perform here, and that’s not even calling into account the conversations about creative industry jobs to be found in the North, this show is certainly a testament to Johnathan’s skill in crafting a story.
Review
It’s hard to hold an audience’s attention for an entire hour, particularly in a solo show. Nathan Jonathan, however, manages this feat with absolute ease, giving an impressive performance as he leads us, the audience, through an autobiographical account of his experience growing up in a small, nondescript Northern town in Y2K and beyond. In a festival that often sidelines authentic Northern voices by the sheer parameters needed to perform here, and that’s not even calling into account the conversations about creative industry jobs to be found in the North, this show is certainly a testament to Johnathan’s skill in crafting a story.
He commands your attention for the entire duration without flinching, weaving a masterful tale of life as a mixed heritage teenager in a Northern English state secondary, flitting from Year 7 to Year 11 in a tightly packed drama. His experiences are grim, but not all unsurprising given the levels of casual racism in this country, and you completely empathise with his anger and rage as he navigates the trials and tribulations of puberty, teenage bullying, and relationships.
His show tackles racism, rage, and the excesses of masculinity in an age where these topics become more prescient by the day. You both laugh with and despair for him as he charts his experience navigating the British state school system, and his performance holds you enraptured for the entire runtime. Certainly one to watch, his performance had a surprisingly low turn out on the day I saw it – whether that was due to unfortunate timing with the eclipse, I don’t know, but one thing’s for sure – more people should be listening.
