REVIEW: All In, Idle Hive Studios, EdFringe 2025 ★★

Henry is about to go into witness protection, so his long-term lover Marianne decides to visit him, despite the rules, to have one last night together. They can’t help but start to reminisce about their haunted past together, and soon old wounds begin to reopen. 

After a serious accident, Marianne is signed off work to recover, and begins online gambling for fun. Henry, suspended from his job for allegedly stealing money from his company, sits in his dressing gown, watching her turn from high-flying lawyer to addict. 

The story is a promising one. It is exciting to see how the lovers’ relationship begins to crumble under the weight of their problems, and under Marianne’s poor management of the finances. We are drip-fed the twists and turns of the plot, in true crime-drama style. 

For a show that purports to be all about gambling (it is the namesake of the play), there is far too little about the habit itself. Marianne becomes addicted seemingly out of boredom after her crash, and yet we are never told how the act makes her feel, nothing about exactly why she feels compelled to roll the dice. 

Marianne and Henry are almost believable as a couple, but the oversexed nature of their relationship, often instigated by Marianne, dilutes the serious discussion of addiction. Their physicality often feels unnatural, mainly used as a means of avoiding the truth at hand. 

Avoidance seems key to the direction as well. Frustratingly, whenever a scene finds its rhythm, whenever the tension begins to build, we quickly transition into another change of costume, another change of timeline, and all that gorgeous momentum is lost. 

Strachan, playing Marianne and also the play’s writer, puts in a good shift as one of our two protagonists. She performs authentically and is frequently the shining light of the production. 

There is a splendid twist at the play’s conclusion, which does encourage us to reflect on all the action that has taken place. It shows a boldness that would have lifted the entire production if injected throughout. 

Recommended Drink: Some kind of spirit, served neat. Isn’t that what gamblers drink…?

You can catch All In at Olive Studio at Greenside @ George Street from Aug 8-9, 11-16 at 14:55. Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.