Auntie Empire
★★★☆☆ Splenetic
Manipulate @ Summerhall: Sun 8 – Mon 9 Feb 2026
Review by Hugh Simpson
Auntie Empire, at Summerhall for two nights as part of Manipulate, is a thoroughly dark piece of satirical clowning. It is deliberately messy and unfocused, but perhaps that lack of focus is ultimately a disadvantage.
In this production by Disaster Plan (Julia Taudevin and Kieran Hurley), Auntie is welcoming her extended family to her ancestral Scottish home to read her will, and perhaps receive a bequest (if it can be rescued from the remains of her rapidly decaying bowels).
Julia Taudevin in Auntie Empire. Pic: Brian Hartley.
Writer-performer Taudevin’s character is a grotesque from the ludicrous false teeth to the equally false arm, clad in outsize tweeds with a teacup for a hat. Drawing on the Bouffon tradition popularised by Jacques Lecoq and with definite shades of Pa Ubu, the character also hints at various Tory politicians but most resembles The Fast Show’s Rowley Birkin QC crossed with a horse.
There is a huge amount of audience participation; best not to sit in the front row if you don’t want to get involved, but being further back won’t necessarily excuse you. In truth, there is probably more of this than would be ideal, as it threatens to take over the whole show, and it is not always clear what it adds.
unbalanced
Perhaps the whole thing would go in a different direction at another time if the participants bridled more at Auntie’s demands, rather than meekly cooperating.
Many stand-ups rely on audience participation to disguise the fact that they are short on material; this isn’t the case here, but it does give the production an unbalanced feel.
Julia Taudevin in Auntie Empire. Pic: Brian Hartley
Indeed, there is a certain amount of confusion throughout. Scatology abounds; Niroshini Thambar and Nik Paget-Tomlinson’s accomplished sound design features much burbling and farting. There are some decidedly squirm-inducing moments, and in among them is a good deal of satiric material about the Empire and Scotland’s part in it (a part that Scots still shy away from confronting).
There is considerable bite to these elements, but the (deliberately) scattergun approach tends to diminish their impact. Taudevin’s performance is constantly commanding, while Tim Licata’s direction is wonderfully sharp. Fergus Dunnet and Gretchen Maynard-Hahn’s puppets, Maynard-Hahn’s costumes and Fraser Lappin’s set are extremely impressive.
horrible fascination
Which makes it unfortunate that so much time is spent on (gently) humiliating the audience rather than focusing on the central character.
Admittedly, the first night was affected by a medical issue involving an audience member, but this came near the end of the show and was quickly resolved.
This concept has been through various iterations on stage and film, and perhaps something has been lost along the way. Auntie has considerable horrible fascination, but could surely have more.
Running time: One hour (no interval)
Summerhall, 1 Summerhall, EH9 1PL.
Sunday 8 – Monday 9 February 2026
Daily: 8pm
Details: here.
Tickets: here.
Julia Taudevin in Auntie Empire. Pic: Brian Hartley
ENDS
