REVIEW: A&E, Wide Eye Productions, EdFringe 2026 ★★★★

Woolwich hospital’s A&E waiting room and no sign of a doctor… Orla Wyatt’s fierce new play explores the encounter of a hospital regular, a volatile and twitching addict seeking help for her meth problem, and a cocky prisoner with a broken hand. Wide Eye Productions presents a bold, witty and all-too-prescient take on class prejudice, moral ambiguity and Maltesers. In the fluorescent light of the waiting room, who’s really sick?

Wide Eye Productions have made their Fringe debut a special one, and the script has an important proclamation about the NHS, its flaws, and the variety of characters that we meet in an A&E waiting room.

While this is a five-hander, the majority of the dialogue centres around Evie (Maisie Lambert) a withdrawing drug addict, and Adam (Ezana Betru), a prisoner with a fight injury guarded by two police officers at his side. The chemistry between them is some of the strongest I’ve seen. Wyatt’s writing, with its political under- and overtones, is uplifted by Adam and Evie’s growing connection, whilst keeping comedic moments sprinkled in.

Ice’s receptionist character highlights the experience of workers within this overwhelmed sector. We can see the burden of their attempts to fix a broken system over a single nightshift, but to no avail.

You can catch A&E at theSpaceUK, Various Venues from August 15-22 (Not 16) at Various Times (60 Minutes). Tickets are available to book through the Edinburgh Fringe ticketing website