Edinburgh Fringe 2026: After Party – Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh

Writer: Morna Young

Director: Katie Posner

Morna Young’s new play is a rarity amongst the Fringe programme, a play that comes in at over two hours and includes an interval between acts. The decision to split the play into two seems to be a thematic one, as this is very much a night before and morning after affair.

In the night before in Act 1, Vivienne Blackwood (played by Alison Peebles), a former entertainer, is gathering her family together for her 80^th birthday celebrations, as children, grandchildren, partners and even an ex-wife are all in attendance. As the family trade barbed jokes and insults that reveal how little is shared between the generations, Vivienne makes her appearance to complete an archetypal opening to proceedings. And then the first curveball is thrown in. Vivienne is dying, and the date of her death is the following day. And then the second curveball is thrown in, as Carol (Liz Kettle), one of the many wives of her son Geoff (Gilly Gilchrist), enters the scene, much to the surprise of her ex himself, and also revealed as Vivienne’s long-term partner, much to the surprise of everyone else.

As Act 2 moves to the morning after, there are revelations as Cass, played by Ruby Glyne, clashes with her boyfriend’s mother, the overtly religious Lily, played by Hilary MacLean, and influencer Sasha (Rachel Dick) continues to try to communicate with her dad Geoff, before Vivienne’s ex Bill (Benny Young) enters the scene and Vivienne’s imminent death and how they are all going to handle it and her, becomes the sole focus of the play.

The play has some great moments in it, with strong performances from all the cast. Peebles in particular is superb throughout as Vivienne moves from fearless matriarch to frail near death person, with her clothes, make-up and appearance all changing superbly to highlight her diminished status. However, it feels like the play tries to cram too many subplot lines in for its own good. The shock value of Vivienne’s relationship with Carol leaves too many unanswered questions, and the back stories of Geoff and Lily feel like they belong from a play that doesn’t have assisted dying at the heart of it.

It makes for a play that feels undecided about what it truly is and that doesn’t manage to become the exploration of death and the right to choose how to die, that it could have been.

Runs until 30 August 2026 (not Mondays) | Image: Contributed