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Loose Threads

 
Alice Eaves Review by Alice Eaves 4 Published: 7 Aug 2025 theSpace @ Surgeons' Hall Show Dates: 1 Aug 2025-12 Aug 2025

A strong performance from a dynamic and skilled cast, Loose Threads is a homage to the nightclub cloakroom assistant – a faceless figure many people will admit they’ve never given a second thought to, perhaps other than being slightly annoyed when asked to pay £2 to hand over their coat.

Exactly the kind of show to indulge in at the Fringe

Framing the cloakroom assistant as the protagonist creates an intriguing perspective from the start, offering a fresh outlook on the subsequent interactions between the attendant and the myriad of characters that darken his door throughout the performance. With only a four-person cast and a significant amount of quick changes and multi-roling, I initially worried there might not be enough distinction between characters. However, credit is due to the three actors who managed their transitions deftly and delivered each character with conviction.

While the interactions with nightclub staff and customers take centre stage, a sombre subplot involving a recent trauma in the cloakroom assistant’s life underpins the piece. This layering of narrative adds a welcome sense of purpose and kept me guessing right to the end. In plays under an hour, there’s always a risk that emotive subplots can feel underdeveloped, but I wouldn’t say there was any need for more interrogation here – especially within a Fringe context.

The staging is simple but effective, sensibly leaving little to distract from the actors. Likewise, the space is small but intimate, an ideal atmosphere to immerse yourself in the mind of the cloakroom assistant, lurking in the almost surreal, liminal space between the outside world and the frivolity of the nightclub proper. Loose Threads is an example of good, comedic writing and well-paced amateur theatre – exactly the kind of show to indulge in at the Fringe.

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The Blurb:

Imagine being forced to hear Mr Brightside on repeat for six hours – going mad yet? Bored to tears? Wondering what you did in a past life to deserve this? For one cloakroom attendant, it’s no hypothetical. It’s every. Single. Night. Follow as he endures a series of hilarious encounters with drunken strangers. Between misplaced jackets and slurred confessions, can he weave together a sense of purpose or be left another loose thread? After two hit sketch shows, Malachy O’Callaghan returns to the Fringe with a fresh, lightning-paced comedy that puts a spotlight on someone we often overlook.