REVIEW: The General Will, The Salvador Kent Company, EdFringe 2025 ★★★★

Election fever sweeps Britain in 2024 – and these two clowns have just reaped the rewards of polling success. But after a year in power and nothing changing, the polls have dropped off a cliff edge. Sound familiar? I’m sure it’s just by chance. The Salvador Kent Company’s EdFringe political clown debut is a gut-punch explosion of theatre that explores apathy, delusion and empathy in what Keir Starmer (sorry, Sir Kevin Prime Minister) has dubbed ‘an Island of Strangers’.

Utilising Brechtian techniques and layers upon layers of meta-theatre, the company have created something truly unique in terms of modern day Fringe offerings. The first act sees two red-nosed and red-tied clowns hashing out a masterplan to reinvigorate their electoral chances following a nosedive in the polls. One, Sir Kevin Prime Minister (as thinly veiled a tribute as it sounds) clings onto the delusion that he’ll be able to woo the rising far-right by leaning into their rhetoric. Meanwhile, his junior, aptly named Junior, plots to turn the tide and create meaningful change. I’m sure you can imagine which one begins to get their way.

Charles Morris’ impression of the aforementioned Prime Minister is unparalleled and gather a great laugh – but as we begin to realise something more sinister is afoot, the whole piece rewinds like a VHS tape, and a layer is stripped back to reveal we are watching a play within a play. In the show’s second act, two disenfranchised young people unpack what it means to make an impactful piece of art. There’s something off a drop in the pace and manner of storytelling in this second half, but it does absolutely blindside you as the piece transforms into something much more than a political comedy sketch.

As Olga and Chloe look to devise a piece of political work that grapples with the state of society, the rising threat of the far right, the company begin to change this from an allegorical piece to an expressive one – Olga’s status as an outsider becomes clear as the ominous language used by the Prime Minster begins to bare its militant soul. The content of this piece is far-reaching, delving into the relationship between rising fascistic forces and the state, US-UK relations, demagoguery and activism. All of this is framed by the young company’s frustrations and angst baring its weight against the ruthless power of state institutions.

The ensemble make a convincing and absurd case about how to express yourself under the weight of suppressive power and a rising tide of ignorance and discrimination. It’s achieved through smart direction from writer-director Salvador Kent, who thrusts the position of the performer and author as activist and dissident. The lampooning of current politics in the early act feels prescient and fresh – and is achieved through a tight, buoyant and ultimately silly dual performance from Morris and Grace Vale as Junior.

Olga Hlouskova, playing an on-stage persona named after herself, provides the standout performance of the second half – rooting the pathos at the core of this piece in her Czech heritage, and becomes a lens for us to understand what’s brewing underneath the surface of Morris’ clownish performance as something far more sinister and unnerving. This is a piece in both its halves that relies on a solid dual relationship, and Chloe Embley provides a great ‘straight man’ archetype for Hlouskova to play off against, even if her character could do with more time on stage and in the script to feel well-rounded.

There are some elements of the show which fly so in the face of conventional modern theatre that they might feel alienating or jarring – this is too easy a criticism to make in my opinion. At one point the cast state flagrantly that they’re ‘exploring the old forms of theatre to try and find what’s new’ – with clear influences of Brecht and Boal this is in some ways a piece of forum theatre, in other ways an absurd farce that’s pulled off remarkably well. Though the excessive expletives throughout could maybe do with a trim, and at some points the pure volume of the piece is so loud it can be a little grating on the ears.

This won’t be for everyone, but it is a powerful testimony to the power of the creative in a time of faltering hope and rising ignorance, delivered with charm, gusto and plenty of belly laughs along the way.

Recommended Drink: Pair this with a whisky on the rocks – sharp and biting.

You can catch The General Will until August 16th at Haldane Theatre at theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall from 21:40 (60mins). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.