REVIEW: ALONE, Alchemy Theatre, Jewel Box Productions, EdFringe 2026 ★★★★

It’s easy to see how ALONE has ended up returning for its third stint in Edinburgh, having been staged here previously in 2023 and 2025. The concept is familiar and well-trodden: humanity is on the brink of extinction, and the only thing standing between them is an uptight scientist who believes they’re a part of something bigger than themselves, and a pilot so laid back they might as well have their feet on the chrome dashboard.

The relationship between Dr. Sarah Taylor (Anthea Freya Hill) and pilot Jessica Holland (Courtney Bassett) presents the classic buddy-cop/Odd Couple dynamic, but makes it clear that the routine has long since been broken-in to the point of muscle memory. Luke Thornborough’s script captures the entire scope of workplace (workspace?) conversation topics as Holland and Taylor bounce from Bowie vs. The Smiths to the existence of God to the long-trodden ground of having to work twice as hard as your male counterpart to get anywhere.

There’s bickering, of course, and sometimes quite fundamental differences of opinion, but with nowhere particularly far to storm off to aside from the deep expanse of space, the tension rarely sticks – like it or not, the two of them know they’re stuck together.

The performers are fantastic in their respective roles. Hill plays Dr. Sarah Taylor with a practiced and rigid self-certainty, clearly developed from having to prove herself to every male colleague in her field, but also with just enough wavering uncertainty for Holland to prod at and peel back.

Courtney Bassett’s Holland is witty and cocksure, but it’s clear she is not to be underestimated as she snaps instantly into action at the first sign of danger, and holds the audience in the palm of her hand as she carries the brunt of the play’s final scene. It’s a testament to the actors to be able to maintain such clear characters both in absolute stillness and desperate movement, and the piece is genuinely devastating to watch at times.

Besides the stellar performances, huge kudos must be given to the technical design of ALONE. The lights in particular are marvellous – I never thought I’d get emotional at the sight of a light flashing on and off, but there you go – and alongside some well-placed sound and haze they contribute hugely to the immersion of the piece. Not an easy feat in such an intimate venue where the audience are looking as much at each other as they are at the stage.

The static nature of a long-term mission in deep space does mean that the action takes perhaps a second too long to get going. The well-rehearsed back-and-forth banter between Taylor and Holland is fun and provides crucial background for both the characters and the mission, ready for when everything hits the fan. However, at points the conversation dipped too low in volume and it was tricky to know what thread I was supposed to be following. Yet his lull was brief, and after the point of collision, tensions skyrocketed (pun intended) and I was on the edge of my seat for the remainder of the piece.

ALONE is a show that manages to contain the infinite multitudes of humanity in a tiny metal box and the bodies of two women who are, not for the first time, carrying the weight and expectation of the world on their shoulders. We don’t know how the world will fare in their absence, or whether they’ll be remembered for their efforts, but the stakes fall away in the final moments of the play as we see Holland choosing to play her favourite songs and talk to her mother in the face of oblivion, asking not ‘Are we all really just alone?’ but rather, ‘If I did have to be alone, who would I like to do it with?’

Recommended Drink: Something from your favourite local coffee shop – a true earthly comfort.

Performances of ALONE have concluded at EdFringe 2026.