“A production filled with bold choices that mostly pay off”
This is part of a series of shorter reviews from Edinburgh Fringe, August 2026.
Telling the story of flatmates Daphne (Kate Hampton) and Oleander (Oliver Hanley), “Cowards!” weaves together aspects of Shakespeare’s words and a mix of dramatic techniques to explore the complicated relationship of two people dancing around a stronger connection. Daphne confesses to cheating on a past boyfriend, whilst Oleander is too cowardly to confess to anything, despite having secrets of his own.
As Oleander begins to question Daphne about her past infidelity, the scene shifts from their flat to a courtroom, Hampton delivering an excellent defence for herself before being put under pressure by Oleander’s interrogation. The back and forth is electric, yet the romantic tension between the pair is palpable. Later, their interactions are imagined as a tango, the pair moving back and forth across the stage as their conversations avoid the elephant in the room.
Written by K. Quinn Hampton, the text is occasionally a little too poetic during the naturalistic kitchen setting, which prevents the audience from forming an instant connection with the pair – it feels like we are kept at arms length until Hanley breaks the fourth wall and helps put us at ease. The pair slip into adapted Shakespeare speeches throughout – though most of these come from Romeo and Juliet, which mostly fit the text but one can’t help but wonder if better quotations about infidelity and insecurity could be found in other Shakespearean plays. The reveal that comes about 40 minutes in helps us make sense of the different segments we have seen, resulting in a conclusion that is dramatically satisfying. A production filled with bold choices that mostly pay off.
Tom Morley, August 2026
“Cowards!” plays at 2pm at the studio, C ARTS, C aquila on alternate days until 29th August.
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