A RATBAG Comedy production.
Molly-Rose Treves (she/her) – Artist & Performer
Elinor Solly (she/they) – Artist & Performer
Adrian Greensmith (he/him) – Director
(George) Kempson (he/him) – Producer & Sound/Lighting Designer
Imagine the scene. Two rats sit in a Brighton attic. A crowd of people have gathered, ready to catch them. Or, at least, their work-in-progress Brighton Fringe show at The Actors. Get ready for Ratmaggedon, a festering clown-sketch mash-up from Soho Theatre Labs grads Molly Rose Treves and Elinor Solly. These rats are wild, weird and ripe to give you a real freaky ride. And boy, do they deliver.
We’re taken on a fun, filthy and fast-paced frolic through the familiar and the frankly odd. Serenades in foreign hospitals. The horror of the H&M changing rooms. A mildly unhealthy obsession with the Lion King. Want to join the rat pack? Just climb aboard the stage, and tell a stranger you want to see their genitals (again).
Ready for a rest? Too bad. Become part of choir of the confused. Indulge in an infusion of fairytale lore. Weep at rat tragedy. Be surprisingly delighted by screaming art that hasn’t quite found a home. No rest for the wicked.
The pair are purveyors of increasingly deranged facial expressions. Exposed teeth. Horror film eyes. Carefully-crafted character comedy. Bravo.
Molly Rose Treves gives Jennifer Saunders energy with contemporary clown chaos. As Solly stands at the front of the stage whirling her hand, she casually flops out her right breast, nodding at you – yes, you – knowingly, daring you to look away.
Elinor Solly has stage presence in abundance, whether they are singing with their face stuffed full of cake, or taking a scheduled boogie break with an expression that suggests a strong need to poo.
There’s an unbridled joy in adults so absolutely willing to make a tit themselves on stage, in big and small ways. This kind of funny is more nature than nurture. You either have it or you don’t. The Soho Theatre Labs crew are certainly building a solid reputation for turning out stars-on-the-rise, and Treves and Solly are no exception. Long live the clown renaissance.
Sketch is notoriously difficult to execute well. The timing and transitions are essential. Here, this becomes effortless. There’s a sort of surreal anti-narrative to this show that really works. With more than a hint of fever dream, is it from the performers, the characters or the audience themselves? Who could say? This reviewer so nearly signed off from covering sketch last year, but Ratmaggedon may just have got her back on-board. Even the moments that give a nod to this being a work-in-progress are a hoot. These rodents have funny bones. At the end of the show, the pair hug gleefully as the light fades, and goodness, we’re right there with them.
Stand down the pest control. This ratty, and most incredibly batty, show really stands out in a sea of so-so sketch comedy. It’s sensational, and is set to be a sure-fire hit. Don’t miss it.
Reviewed on Thursday 7 May 2026. Runs to 8th May.
