Fringe 2025: Who We Become Part 1 and 2

Rating: ★★★★★

Part 1 of the Pulitzer Prize winning Who We Become follows the interviewing of an inspiring writer and her brutally honest insights as she dissects her relationship to her small town, her family, her childhood, and the relationship of these factors to her writing. The performance glows with the subtlety of the details; Margaret Curry’s body language becomes increasingly more erratic as she moves around the stage with alcohol in her hand, her dialogue increasing in mania, distress rises steadily throughout her monologue.

The effect of the interview structure allows for the audience to subconsciously analyse their own position as a body unable to interfere; placed in a position that commonly responds, we are aware of our position as a silent observer and all the more surrendered to the performance of the actors.

The difficulty of the subject matter further allows for an audience to be acutely aware of their position as unable to move from the unflinchingly honest narrative. It was certainly a surprise to be faced with highly difficult subject matter with very little warning, and it’s difficult to say whether the performance requires a stronger content warning. Yet it is undeniable the way it adds to the show’s effectiveness; the story is dark and gritty, making it all the more profound.

Part 2 in a similar way focuses on the complexity of the characters being placed in front of us. It continues Part 1 with its tragic themes and similarly superb acting. Rather than shying away from the tough subject matter, Curry speaks of it head- on, forcing a deliberate sense of deep discomfort in the audience. The boldness of her performance stands out easily as the highlight of the show, unable to be described in any other way than remarkable.

After the performance, albeit packing a sharp emotional punch that renders almost unable to process their surroundings following, a friend leaned in and asked: “So what’s Part 2?” The two part structure of the play is unique within the Fringe, forcing audiences to return to the same place and allowing them once again to question their position as an audience.

Rather than positing two separate performances, Who We Become chooses to keep these two one-act sagas connected. In this way, it continues to be most effective in the control it holds over its audience, whilst giving them a unique sense of independence in choosing to form their own connections between the individual characters and their stories.

Who We Become Part 1 has its final show on 22 August, and Who We Become Part 2 has its final show on 23 August, both at Haldane Theatre at theSpace at Surgeons’ Hall.