A play co-written and -performed by Katie Bonna and me, which ran at the Pleasance Edinburgh for the Edinburgh fringe 2012.  Pia Furtado directed the show. Press release and images here, or contact our producer Polly Ingham.  It returned to Bristol Old Vic and Soho theatres in March 2013. Reviews from the Soho run – Whatsonstage and Evening Standard and Metro – all ****, and critics’ choice in Time Out. We were been nominated for best new play in the Offies. The script is published by Bloomsbury/Methuen.

We then transferred to New York in June 2013. Our first review was in verse. Other reviews from Stage & Cinema, Theatre is Easy, NYTheatre.com. Possibly my favourite quote so far – ‘Because the play is British there are lots of drinking references…’ – from F.A.M.E. NYC. And Mildly Bitter was not bitter at all.

Katie did not yet realise the Fringe doesn’t pay Equity minimum.

Can a one-night stand last a lifetime? Two hopeful, hapless romantics can barely get breakfast – let alone get together. 

In her eyes, he’s a mistake. A mistake who keeps turning up at parties. In his eyes, she’s perfect. He’s short-sighted. An achingly funny on-off love story of good intentions and bad timing.

Music by the excellent Robin Grey.

UK reviews of Dirty Great Love Story

We’re incredibly happy that the play got an incredibly warm public and critical response. And we’d hate you to miss out on that, so here are some links:

Telegraph “**** This is the kind of show that simultaneously restores your faith in human nature and the Fringe. (…) Bliss.”

We’re Tom Lamont’s favourite show of the week in the Observer.

Tom Sutcliffe of the Radio 4 Review Show would recommend just one thing at the fringe (21’35” minutes in) – ‘really witty, funny, sweet, beautifully done.’

Scotsman.  They gave us a Fringe First and we performed an extract from the show at their fringe awards.

Katie was nominated for the Stage best actress award, and we’re one of their must-see shows.

And Fest and Scotsgay and Broadway Baby and Three Weeks and TV Bomb and Exeunt and A Younger Theatre and Fringebiscuit  liked the show and gave us four stars, (each, mind).  Five from spoonfed and the public reviews.

The Independent. “***** Dirty Great Love Story does exactly what it says on the tin – and they could throw in the adjectives Lovely, Witty, Delicious too.”   They also review nabakov’s excellent Blink.

There’s a great review from Libby Purves in the Times, but it’s behind a paywall.

The Edinburgh Evening News.  And a mention in the New York Times.

Sabotage Reviews “***** A charming piece of theatre… great laughs all the way through… this is as close to perfect as a love story can get for me: grubby, awkward, self-aware, incredibly funny, occasionally bitter and oh so sweet.”

one4review “***** All in all this was a wonderful experience, simply staged and directed it relied on the quality of the writing and the performances and this was there in abundance. The ovation that was received at the end was richly deserved and if this is not one of the hits of the Fringe then there is no justice.”

For all press and programming enquiries, please contact our producer, Polly Ingham.