MISS BREXIT
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
★★★
“well worth a watch for its strong performers”
In Miss Brexit, four Europeans compete to gain the leave to remain in an absurd pageant that sees the contestants attempt to assimilate to British culture. By the end of the show, three Europeans have been deported, while one is crowned Miss Brexit.
George Berry is the MC of this bizarre circus, bringing impressive physicality and energy to the role. Among the contestants, Miss Switzerland (Maxence Marmy) stands out for her impressive vocals. Meanwhile, Miss Catalonia (Alba Villaitodo) steals every scene she’s in with her unabashed commitment to the over-the-top comedic acting the tone of the show commands, which some of the other performers lack at times. The contestants’ shiny leotards (from costume designer Olga Ntenta) really add to the absurdity of the show, though I wish Berry’s showman had been given something a tad more ‘British’ to wear. By contrast, the stage was empty bar a projector screen, a bareness I found jarring when compared to the performers’ decked out do’s. Although the projected images (by Pablo Fernández Baz) work well, I wish directors Amaia Mugica and Alejandro Postigo had chosen for a slightly more elaborate set.
Each of the contestants, in their plea to stay in the country, tells the story of how they immigrated to the UK. The recurring references to ‘dreaming of being a performer’ make me think these stories have some semblance to the actors’ own lives, which is a nice touch. Additionally, some of the songs (by Harvey Cartlidge & Tom Cagnoni) are sung in a contestant’s native language. This makes for a heartwarming celebration of diversity in a show about conformity and xenophobia, though it’s unfortunate that the words are mostly lost on the audience.
By focusing on these personal stories, the show does lose some of its satirical punch: the issues the characters experience come to feel individual rather than structural. Slightly more focus on Brexit as a political and cultural event would have served this show well. One of my favourite moments was when the MC divided the audience up into chunks that represent how the UK public voted in that infamous 2016-referendum, allowing roughly a fourth of the audience (the percentage of Brits that actually voted to leave) to choose a representative to make the final decision. To me, the most chilling moment was when the elected spectator, a middle-aged Scot wearing a ‘Last Night the DJ Saved My Life’ t-shirt and a bucket hat, was encouraged to tell Miss Spain to ‘fuck off’, which he did with all his might. This very effectively cut through the silly, upbeat tone of the show, and I only wish there had been more of such uncomfortable moments, in which the audience is made complicit in the expulsion of these young and hopeful Continentals.
Not quite the unsparing satire ‘Miss Brexit’ set out to be, this show is well worth a watch for its strong performers and occasional bull’s-eye hits.
MISS BREXIT
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Reviewed on 15th August 2025 at Ermintrude at Underbelly, Bristo Square
by Lola Stakenburg
Photography by Jake Bush
