BRIGHTON FRINGE: Plowman and Cummins are Plowman and Cummins – Junk Poets at Caravanserai

What happens when a clown goes to the hairdresser? It almost feels like the start of a joke. A premise which certainly proves to be true in Plowman and Cummins are Plowman and Cummins.

There’s much packed into this hair-raising hour. From bouffant-primping to slapstick fighting, shaving foam to classical singing. It’s a silly and delightful interlude from real life on the first Saturday of Brighton Fringe. The starting scene provokes intrigue, with Plowman on stage in a beautiful gown, engaging with the audience in typical clown fashion.

The tropes and gags around hairdressing bring the most joy. There’s sheer delight as Sally Plowman primps, adorns and decorates the head of Cailin Cummins with creativity and unexpected nonsense. Endless caps are unveiled and discarded. The costumes are a fever dream and the props and small details are beautifully conceived and considered with this show. Bravo.

The pair refer to a splintered narrative in their marketing material. The transitions don’t make this as surreal as it could be, with some sections working better than others. Interludes with Cummins singing are poignant, and the creative lighting choices here create a real mood change. A section around cigarettes feels a little shoehorned in, but with the right transition, could build an alternate reality. Are there other ways the pair could create an evolving atmosphere for the audience?

This reviewer would have liked to have seen a more frenetic energy at points. Both Plowman and Cummins are confident, assured performers, but sometimes the silliness of the scenes doesn’t match the energy they are creating. Showing the audience your unbridled delight is at the heart of clown.

Plowman is a composed performer and creates a bond with those watching. It would be great to see them really let loose on stage. Cummins is a consistent, reassuring presence and makes a strong clown. The pair work well as a duo, and you can see the complicité in their communication with each other and the audience. By enhancing the contrast in their characters a little further, we’d really see the magic build.

There’s real promise in this show that manages to be both soft and silly at the same time. By really tuning in on transitions and tweaking in line with audience reaction, Plowman and Cummins are set for a superb salon experience. The bones of a top-hit show are here, it just needs a little more time under the dryer.

Reviewed on 2 May 2026.