Tale of a Potato
★★★★☆ Gently profound
Zoo Playground (Venue 186): Fri 1 – Sun 24 Aug 2025
Review by Hugh Simpson
Tale of a Potato, at Zoo Playground throughout the Fringe, is another offering with a miniature cast but a big reach from Sardinian company Batisfera.
This is performed in a similar fashion to last year’s excellent Gummy Bears’ Great War from the same company (Æ review: ★★★★☆ A lot to chew on). A cramped room with a correspondingly small audience features an illuminated workbench top where, over 30 minutes, Valentina Fadda acts out the life story of – you guessed it – a potato. Played by an actual potato.
Potato. Teaser Screenshot: Æ
There are several other vegetables on display, with other spuds featuring alongside courgettes, carrots, and corn and other of your five a day.
The story of the potato protagonist’s life, by writer-director Angelo Trofa, is surprisingly touching and distinctly recognisable to any human attendees.
Whimsical and melancholy, but with genuine bite, the story of the tattie’s life, loves, adventures and career is intended for a more grown-up audience, rather than being the children’s show you might expect (the age guidance is 12 plus).
warmly inviting
Unlike the Gummy Bears show (which is also returning this year), this is performed in English, thanks to the translation of Chiara De Giorgio and Daniela Innocenti. This has the advantage of doing away with subtitles, although the venue Batisfera is using this year might very well make those easier to read.
Fadda’s English delivery is not always fluent, but the occasionally halting moments merely add to the charm of what is a warmly inviting, properly immersive performance. The various vegetables and accompanying miniature props are manipulated with care, invention and considerable theatrical panache.
Potato showdown. Teaser Screenshot: Æ
Luca Carta’s lighting design is an integral part of a carefully considered production, which has an effect way beyond what a simple description would suggest.
If you haven’t seen The Gummy Bears’ Great War (and you really should) this would probably have more impact simply for its novelty. As it is, it is slightly less impressive than that production, but it is still a touching and beautifully formed piece of theatre in its own right.
Tale of a Potato
Running time: 30 minutes (no interval).
Zoo Playground (Playground 3), High School Yards, EH1 1LZ. (Venue 186).
Friday 1 – Sunday 24 August 2025.
Daily (Not Wed 13): 4pm.
Tickets and details: Book here on EdFringe.com.
Book here on EdFest.com.*
The Gummy Bears’ Great War
Running time: 30 minutes (no interval).
Zoo Playground (Playground 3), High School Yards, EH1 1LZ. (Venue 186).
Friday 1 – Sunday 24 August 2025.
Daily (Not Wed 13): 3pm.
Tickets and details: Book here on EdFringe.com.
Book here on EdFest.com.*
*affiliate link.
Batisfera website: www.batisfera.com
Facebook: @batisfera.teatro
Instagram: @batisfera
TikTok: @batisfera
ENDS
