Salvador Kent
Tobias Graham completely surprises in Slugs, which begins as a run of the mill albeit handsomely performed confessional monologue. What it turns into however, is truly an icy cool and intensely brilliant interrogation of the one-person show, through a twist which led to the most blind-siding minute of my Fringe.
Tobias Graham is physical, vulnerable and smart as writer-performer. He would convince if this was a run-of-the-mill confessional, although in hindsight you feel like the performance was working with more layers than first expected. He talks about his feelings of arousal being more like slugs than butterflies, and cross-cuts a drug infused one night stand with recollections of his first sexual experiences as a queer man.
George Jibson directs a beautifully concieved production and uses the minimal but effective set beautifully, as well as a stellar lighting design. As mentioned before, this is handsome before it is unexpected, although further discussion of the piece would require me to say crucial spoliers, so I have marked this section with *** should you wish not to read this.
***
Slugs is utterly transformed by a crucial moment.
Suddenly, the man sitting next to me storms out. He rushes back in. He begins arguing with Tobias Graham. Graham runs to the tech box. The man continues to argue.
For a moment, this is utterly disorienting. It then becomes clear this is part of the performance. The man is the subject of the play, the guy who Tobi hooked up with. The actor who plays him is not credited in the press release, further adding to the surprise. Tobi is implying that this man has sexually assaulted him. The play utterly transforms.
There have been many one person Fringe shows called into question following their vulnerable expositions and subjective interpretations of autobiographical events. By adding this device, Graham makes this the focal point of this show. It is a stroke of brilliance, and elevates this to intense heights.
This being said – the twist could go further. Forty five seconds of this show were the most disorienting of my Fringe. Too quickly did we snap back into the illusion of theatre. For a play which so compellingly shocked us, this is a shame.
***
This being said, Slugs is a morally searching, brilliantly written and performed piece of theatre which is conceptually ambitious and pulls this ambition off. I hope it has further life, and it was a highlight of new writing this Fringe for me.
Recommended Drink: A shot of espresso. A shock to the system.
Performances of Slugs have now concluded at EdFringe 2026.
Eve Miller
Lubna Kerr
Ellen Leslie
