REVIEW: Very Funny, Fat and Dumb, EdFringe 2026 ★★★★

Two fools onstage in a bizarre dissection of the creative industry. This is an acutely honest play, performed almost entirely in Polish. It explores the theatrical role of the fool, drawing from Shakespearean influence with a very modern inflection. The first in a trilogy of plays by Fat and Dumb, this can be seen as an introduction to the duo’s theatrical thesis.

There are several narratives working in parallel; there are two fools playing out ridiculous skits, there is the exploration of the two performers behind these fools, and there is the journey to find space in an increasingly elitist world of theatre. Performed through Polish rap, extended dialogue, and recordings of video calls, this is an intriguing and bold piece of meta-theatre.

Fat and Dumb are struggling to be taken seriously. They have been snubbed by the theatre elite who refuse to let them progress. We see them send emails to artistic directors and lament over the need to make a show that travels abroad in order to be taken seriously. The characters they embody are fools, but they are also proclamations of these two women to accept themselves completely and defy the superficial judgement of others. In twin musical pieces of Polish rap, they tell us who they are. Dumb’s song is a war cry for being dismissed in the theatre world, and Fat’s song is a tale of bodily ownership and queerness. In true Shakespearean fashion, these fools speak the truth in the face of the powerful.

These women have both been disregarded, for their bodies, for their sexuality, for being a mother, for wanting to do something different. The piece is purposefully classic, it is designed to show their range and to announce their liberation. In one particularly moving section they act out scenes by Hieronymous Bosch, including ‘A Ship of Fools’ (c. 1490-1500). It’s a humorous mirror, drawing attention to the camp aspects of the piece, making them real and alive in front of us. The performers are a monk, a beggar, an artist… it’s an apt and piercing visual metaphor for the arts industry as a whole. This is an ode to human folly, to a corrupt and gluttonous community. These fools are both like and unlike the fools onstage. Perhaps the greatest difference is the acceptance of the self, and with it a reclaiming of one’s narrative.

This performance blends multimedia with a reverence for classical theatre. It is loud and enticing, performed with great poise and fearless vulnerability. The artist’s strip themselves back and reject the stereotypes they have been confined to, showing at once a soft underbelly and a razor sharp edge. The show suffered at times from technical aspects, as the translated subtitles for the performance were displayed behind the performers flashed by a little quickly and were not always immediately clear. Aside from this meagre technical issue, I would have liked to have seen more pause and breathing space given to the more poignant points in the show.

It spoke a great truth, and was truly a triumph of two fools. Fat and Dumb are incredibly talented performers and possess the kind of passion that leads to great art. I would be excited to see what the complete trilogy looks like and what further range it can perform. An unusual and exciting piece, Very Funny is both a vicious and tender experience.

Recommended Drink: A Caipirovska, bitter and biting but oh so good.

Performances of Very Funny, Fat and Dumb have now concluded at EdFringe 2026.