Paradise Lodge – Edinburgh Festival Fringe – Underbelly Bristo Square

Paradise Lodge continues at Underbelly Bristo Square – The Dairy Room until 26 August 2019.

Star rating: three stars ★ ★ ★ ✩ ✩

At the heart of any piece of theatre is the need for connection – and this beautifully observed show from Doodlebugs Productions shines a warm, cosy beacon of light across an often isolated and ‘invisible’ generation.

Eric and Kylie are at odds. They’ve come to Paradise Lodge to perform for the residents but morale is low, the audience isn’t reacting and Kylie is pining for the grander stages to which she feels entitled.

Meanwhile, we flash back to the lives of two residents and their families, before arriving at the Lodge. We get an insight into the whimsical but often frightening progress of dementia and its inescapable consequences – and for anyone who’s come into contact with the condition, it’s absolutely on the money.

Playing nine roles between the two of them, Steve Cooper and Sophie Osborne have their work cut out but the characters are well built. Richard Oliver’s direction steers clear of the gritty warts-and-all, but could sometimes do with a more grounded touch in the delivery to avoid veering too far into caricature.

Cooper has the easier job – his alter-ego Ronnie is dry, foul-mouthed, and instantly endearing – but it’s to his credit that he lets the text do the work for him, and allows the laughs to arrive unaided. Slightly tougher are Osborne’s roles – her characters are not permitted the same warmth and the comedy is often too broadcast to relax into.

It also feels like the meta-narrative of Eric and Kylie becomes increasingly obsolete in its function. Towards the end it feels like their sketches and songs aren’t serving the plot clearly, merely signposting what we’re meant to feel instead of allowing these stories to take over.

There’s just so much more to explore here and a tighter narrative could really allow more space for insight – especially into the effects on surrounding families.

The show takes care never to fall into maudlin territory. There are moments of great poignancy, but always tempered with a compassionate humour, and it is delightful at any rate to sit with the songs and feel the camaraderie within the audience.

Having both experienced first-hand a combined 30-plus years of caring for loved ones, the depth of understanding and the conviction is all there for the Doodlebugs. With further development, this could elevate into a powerhouse of a show.

Aura Simon