REVIEW: Cult, Nevermore Theatre, EdFringe 2026 ★★★

I am Susan. You are Susan. We are all Susan. 

Nevermore Theatre have taken over a shipping container with one goal on the agenda: to build a following for their ‘tax exempt religious organisation’. Or, as it is eventually revealed, their cult – the Cult of Eternal Sunshine. Led by three leaders, all called Susan, we are inducted into this cult, and all deemed to also be Susan. In the name of The Entity, the audience are put through obedience training, personality tests, and eventually join together in ascension.

This show was an undeniably fun time. It never took itself too seriously, delivering what it promised: a parody of a cult, satirising the techniques used to recruit people and the thinly-veiled hierarchy that they are structured on. Full of innuendos and unforeseen twists and turns, the laughter was non-stop. The aesthetic and performance was strong and intriguing, succeeding in fully immersing the audience in the world of the cult they were joining. However, the content of the show certainly had space for development – the story was undefined and difficult to follow. Additionally, the audience participation, although fun and well facilitated, often felt redundant and anti-climactic. 

The themes of the show are inherently political – the concept of a cult is representative of a harmful institution taking advantage of vulnerable people, often for monetary gain. There are complicated cross-overs with religious faiths. The show steers far clear of these issues, working hard to maintain a fun and confusing atmosphere with little explicit reference to the deeper questions that could be asked. There are moments where these issues are perhaps being implicitly reflected – for example an audience member becomes the Susan’s ‘pet’ and spends the show sitting on stage in handcuffs. This could have been an attempt to demonstrate the power and dominance that cults exercise over their followers, however it read as more of a cheap euphemistic joke than making a serious point. The dedication to skating above the political offerings of the theme may work for some audience members who are solely looking for a laugh, but I found it left the show feeling lacking. 

The look of the show was simple, strong and right on the mark. The three performers had matching white dresses, silver bobs and red lipstick. In the dark, coolly lit shipping container venue, this gave the entire experience an otherworldly feel. In a sold-out show, it felt crowded and cramped, knee to knee with the people next to you. Again, this added to the aesthetic and the feel of it, you truly were part of an blissfully ignorant crowd being shepherded into the unknown. 

The uncanny aesthetic went hand in hand with the performance. I do not recall a moment where the three performers weren’t smiling from ear to ear, in a manner that became increasingly disconcerting and eventually just hilarious. The sheer dedication itself is commendable – a simple detail that made me laugh out loud several times throughout. Alongside this, the performers spoke throughout the show in shrill-high pitched voices. This was fun for the first five minutes, but quickly became overly intense and difficult to understand. Especially later in the show when the plot got more complicated, it was sometimes challenging to follow what was happening, especially from near the back of the space. 

The audience interaction of the show was frequent and cheery. There were lots of opportunities to get involved and have an impact on the cult that was being created. One limiting factor on this was the venue – although the tight crowd was effective in terms of atmosphere, for any meaningful audience participation it quickly became a barrier. For instance, during a game of ‘The Entity Says’ (Simon Says) all we could really do was sit down, stand up, and raise our hands. This is notably outside of the performer’s control, however even in the moments where they did have the space for more interesting audience participation, this was still unsatisfying.

Many members of the audience were pulled on stage or highlighted at one moment or another, and these moments never actually went anywhere or contributed to what was happening. There was no arc or meaning. An example of this – the most impure Susan was identified from the audience through a personality test and pulled on stage. She held hands with the performers and… that was it. There was potential for that moment to go in so many directions, but instead it felt like it fizzled away. 

Regardless, Nevermore Theatre’s Cult is a guaranteed crazy night out, with a striking visual talent that is sure to get you laughing. There are key comedic moments and an overarching craziness which carries this show. The audience are invited into varyingly successful moments of participation as we do our best to follow an undefined story. The largest point of tension is the attempt to make a purely comedic, non-serious show, when the subject matter is as dark and demanding as a cult. 

This show is a hilarious way to experience a cult without the danger of the real thing – intense, bewildering and non-stop. 

Recommended Drink: A witch’s brew.

You can watch Cult at Wee Container 2 at Hoots @ Potterrow at 22:20 (55mins) on August 7-23. Tickets Available at the EdFringe Online Box Office.