Edinburgh Fringe 2026
Under the Influence
The Gilbert Twins and Speakerphone Productions
Genre: Musical Theatre, Theatre
Venue: Underbelly at Bristo Square
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
This is about the chaos of sisterhood, pressure from online sources and how to find your own authentic self in amongst a twinosphere. Unable to get on, they are in couples therapy and their therapist has a slick keyboard vibe. As one gets an offer to move on, the other gets the urge to wipe their profiles, as both learn how to live with each other.
Review
The Gilbert twins, Carine and Frances, are apparently known to 3 million plus followers online and have here returned to where they began in terms of musical theatre. This is an incredibly slick piece of theatre which has a tone of ridiculousness and a pace of fervent optimism running like a runaway train. Unsurprisingly almost every possible twin element that we would prejudicially think of is explored. It begins with the egg separating, then couples’ therapy as both Carine and Frances bicker and bicker whilst the sessions struggle to resolve their conflict. By the end of the show, they do resolve it because it would hardly be a musical without a happy ending, would it?
Both actors are incredibly funny, and their relationship is mirrored throughout. The comic timing is spot-on. Their therapist, who plays the keyboard has fantastic comic timing herself. Structurally it is important as they act as a counterpoint to the twins. When they’re getting a little bit too much, she punctures that effectively as a foil. The use of flashback when the therapist asks a question and then we see the answer is tremendous and drives the narrative forward. Bursting into song, due to the set up of using two lights as eggs in the dark means we are already suspending our disbelief – we are not looking for the overly natural.
Whilst this does examine the nature of relationships, there is nothing overly serious about this and it’s not examining the twinosphere like it ought to be a documentary. It’s simply really funny.
Technically, the balance in that venue from the music was spot-on and all credit to whoever it was behind the sound desk. It worked so well and there was not a real change between spoken voice and singing voice which in pop up venues can be a challenge. But this was noticeably good.
If you’re looking for something that is polished and presented in a finished format, this is for you. If you love musical theatre, then this is for you. If you fancy a decent laugh, then this is for you. If you’re looking for something maudlin, mawkish and serious that’s likely to examine the nature of our inner beings, then this ain’t the one to pick.
I’m not a musical theatre aficionado by any sense of the imagination, but I found very much that this was for me.
