Bucksomely Betrothals
★★★★★ Bucksome Brilliance
theSpaceTriplex (Venue 38): Fri 7 – Tue 11 Aug 2026
Review by Tom Ralphs
Bucksomely Betrothals is a full throttle farce from Theatre Paradok, with a cast that exploit every aspect of the script to deliver a show that highlights the talent involved both on stage and off.
The second full-length work from the writer-actor trio of Tai Remus Elliot, Anna Yarwood, and Ava Vaccari, this features Geraldine Bucksomly, the owner of Milton Keynes’ premier matchmaking agency, Bucksomly Betrothals.
The arrival of Hutch, an American cowboy type, disrupts the attempts of the regular clientele to follow Geraldine’s instructions to find love, and also provides a plotline that turns what could be a series of sketches into a hilariously funny and cohesive whole.
The cast of Buxomly Betrothals. Pic: Beau Wolton.
Geraldine and her clientele are characters that match some of the finest creations of Reeves and Mortimer or the League of Gentleman. Each character has their own distinctive traits that make them a mismatch and perfect companions at the same time.
Vacarri gives Bucksomly a prim and proper Victorian air as she deals with a group of people who, for the most part, belong very much in the present day.
For her clientele, Yarwood creates someone who is wonderfully unaware of their own limitations and surroundings in Alan, a former world bowling champion who has spent the last fifteen years alone. By contrast, Amelie Berry’s thigh slapping, romping gusto brings Rik Mayall’s Lord Flashheart from Blackadder to mind in her creation Stephen.
Ava Godfrey switches from the socially awkward Clive to Alan’s former mother-in-law Doris, showing tremendous skill in character comedy and how to emphasise recognisable traits to create sympathetic parodies.
superb cameos
Elliot’s Jeremy is the least interesting of Geraldine’s clientele, however his other roles – as Samantha and a waiter in an Italian restaurant whose accent changes depending on who he is talking to – are superb cameos delivered with a relish that shows the care that has been taken to make sure there are no weak spots in the script or production.
Jude Rogers completes the cast and delivers the most over-the-top of all of the performances both as Hutch and as different women at a speed dating event. As with the rest of the cast he shows a real skill in knowing how to get every possible ounce of humour out of the characters and script.
Presented by Theatre Paradok, who specialise in new and experimental writing at Edinburgh University, the show has a limited run. It remains to be seen whether the six will continue to work together post University, or whether this will be the last opportunity to see them all on the same stage.
It would be a shame if they didn’t and it would be a tragedy if this turned out to be the last outing for this superb production.
Running time: 50 minutes (no interval).
theSpaceTriplex (Studio), The Prince Philip Building, 19 Hill Place EH8 9DP (Venue 38).
Friday 7 – Tuesday 11 August 2026.
Daily: 9.05pm.
Tickets and details: Book here at EdFringe.com.
Tickets direct from venue: Book here.
Theatre Paradok website: theatreparadok.com
Facebook: @theatreparadok
Instagram: @theatreparadok
ENDS
