REVIEW: BOMBSHELL, Cross the Pond Theatre, EdFringe 2025 ★★★★

Dim the lights, turn up the heat and prepare to save the world. Three Vegas showgirls are using their saucy skills to raise awareness and take a stand for the environment. They’ve got all eyes on them, and they’re going to make use of it. 

BOMBSHELL treats the audience to a well-balanced cocktail of styles. We get both the responsiveness and skill of a cabaret, and the nuance of a sharply written play. Impressive vocals and confident choreography seamlessly transition into a narrative arch which becomes more complex and engaging as it progresses.  

The dancers at the Club Fistfight nightclub take a radical stand, treating their eager audience to a new kind of cabaret – the environmentalist kind. Equipped with plastic waste costumes, they take to the stage for the climate justice movement. The only problem is… the club is closing down. So, the girls use their last performance to tell a love story that went in a direction no one expected, and to unveil a final act of resistance that will never be forgotten. 

BOMBSHELL dances the line between performance activism and an exploration of the relationship between activism and performance. The show asks several interesting questions – whose job is it to protest for climate justice? How much anger is justified in activism? Where’s the line? At a time where the right to protest is under a new level of threat, these questions are increasingly important and BOMBSHELL does a brilliant job of asking them in an impressive display of talent and energy. 

The cabaret style really underpins and uplifts this show. The trio set a precedent of being responsive and interactive from the beginning, which carries throughout. Even in more story-focused moments, there is consistent eye contact and expressions thrown out to the audience which keeps things live, fresh and open. The musical numbers are well-stage and tightly performed, making good use of the thrust stage to pull props from under chairs and whisper comments to the audience. The choreography here opens the door for the rest of the narrative to also adhere to a sharp, choreographed rhythm. This elevates the events and the narratives to a more interesting height, with the show moving to a beat that never slows down. This works particularly well with the costume changes. These are simple and effective, with one or two items clearly signalling a character change and often achieving a comedic effect, smoothly bringing in a whole range of personas that keep the audience surprised and amused. 

The set of this show is simple but well used, with everything framed, decorated and adorned with scrap bubble wrap, empty drinks cans and torn fishing nets. This visually references back to the environmental issues on the table, which is helpful when the plot begins to lean more into the personal relationship side of things. The production of the show worked well for a fringe venue, although I’d be interested to see how the design could be developed given more space and time. 

This show shone brightly in both its performance and production, with energy and design second to none. This was slightly let down by the narrative and the script. There were moments where it felt like we were being spoon-fed the message, although this was redeemed slightly by the self-aware subversions which quickly followed suit. The twist at the end was certainly unexpected, but also verged on illogical, and the actual point attempting to be made by the climax of the show was lost in the drama of it. 

If you’re looking for fifty minutes of powerful female energy and an important question about what makes protest effective, make sure you catch BOMBSHELL. This talented company certainly knows how to tell a story, and won’t hold back on the glamour, the glitz, and the global warming awareness. 

Recommended drink: Jagerbomb, because it’s time to wake up.

You can catch BOMBSHELL until August 16th at Studio at theSpaceTriplex from 17:05 (50mins). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.