Written by Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith
Directed by Simon Evans
Review by Dominic Corr
Notable for thriving with the unexpected: Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith have, across all nine series of Inside No. 9, perfected the art of the rug-pull, the sly wink, and the gut-punch. Their stage incarnation, Stage/Fright, when announced, came with curiosity and trepidation; now touring and stopping at the Edinburgh Playhouse for its Scottish premiere, it is both a love letter to theatre and a gleeful dissection of its foibles.
It opens with a meta-flourish: an audience watching an audience, etiquette skewered with precision, before the walls of reality begin to wobble. From the outset, the duo signals that this is no straightforward adaptation but a theatrical experiment, one that toys with conventions as much as it indulges them.
The production’s most valuable component (other than the writing) lies in its anthological structure, echoing the TV series while exploiting the live medium. Act one resurrects familiar territory reimagined, with Pemberton and Shearsmith as the washed-up double act. It’s a bittersweet blend of slapstick and pathos, a study in the co-dependent tragedy of comedy duos. Guest stars add spice; on press night, a familiar Scottish comic/actor cameoed (from a couple doors down…), proves the show’s knack for surprise continues to provide excellence in surprise (and some delightful corpsing too).
Throughout, a delightfully bloodthirsty haunted-theatre narrative blurs rehearsal and reality. Jump scares, live video projections, and shifting sets keep the audience perpetually off balance. Simon Evans’s direction ensures the chaos is tightly marshalled, while Grace Smart’s set shifts from recognisable to Hammer Horror camp and kitsch; and cast in Neil Austin’s lighting, and Ed Lewis’s sound design which seals those final flourishes; conjuring an atmosphere both playful and sinister.
Sitting firmly at the pulsing eye sockets of Stage/Fright, Pemberton and Shearsmith, their partnership, is the engine that drives the evening’s blend of comedy and dread. The audience at the Edinburgh Playhouse responds with palpable delight, laughter rippling at their sharp timing and gasps surfacing at each carefully orchestrated twist. A costume change is enough to grasp attention and spark recognition. What makes them so compelling, is their instinctive understanding of craft: they know precisely how far to push a gag before it curdles, how long to hold a silence before it fractures into unease, and how to balance the grotesque with the genuinely heartfelt. It’s a masterclass in control and release, proof that their reputation as consummate performers is richly deserved.
It isn’t all strictly down to this pair; with much of the reactions and stand-out performances coming from a talented ensemble—Sarah Moyle, Gaby French, Miranda Hennessy, Bhav Joshi, among others—support the leads with aplomb, fleshing out the world with energy and precision. The show is also rich in Easter eggs and local references, rewarding diehard fans while offering enough spectacle for newcomers. Pemberton and Shearsmith’s rapport remains magnetic; they could coast on goodwill alone, yet they deliver performances of real craft and commitment.
Yet for all its invention, Stage/Fright falters where it also sharpens the scalpel: The reliance on filmed inserts, while entirely in the nature of lampooning shows for doing such, feels like filler, diluting the immediacy. Inside No. 9’s formula is by now familiar, and anticipation sometimes outpaces surprise. Though a Morecambe-and-Wise-style routine, charming, sits well against the darker material. There’s also the risk of insularity. Much of the humour and horror leans on knowledge of the TV series; newcomers may miss the resonance of certain callbacks. And while the meta-theatrical commentary is sharp, it occasionally veers into indulgence; jokes about theatre etiquette and casting economics, though incisive, risk overstaying their welcome.
Thrillingly original, beautifully staged, and wickedly funny. Pemberton and Shearsmith have managed the rare feat of translating a cult television format into live theatre without succumbing to the whiff of cash-in. They’ve crafted a show that revels in the mechanics of performance, exposing the darkness behind the curtain while celebrating the joy of shared storytelling. Inventive, unsettling, this is a triumph of theatrical mischief. Stage/Fright proves itself a theatrical curveball: part pantomime, part horror anthology, part elegy for the double act.
Theatrical Mischief
Inside No. 9 Stage/Fright runs at The Edinburgh Playhouse until November 29th
Running time – Two hours and thirty minutes with one interval
Review by Dominic Corr – contact@corrblimey.uk
Editor for Corr Blimey, and a freelance critic for Scottish publications, Dominic has been writing freelance for several established and respected publications such as BBC Radio Scotland, The List, The Scotsman, Edinburgh Festival Magazine, The Reviews Hub, In Their Own League, The Wee Review and Edinburgh Guide. As of 2023, he is a member of the Critics’ Awards for Theatre Scotland (CATS) and a member of the UK Film Critics.
