Caravan Tea Party at Etcetera Theatre Review
We meet Sophie in a coffee shop far away from home. She's not solo-travelling but waiting for a friend to join her. While she waits, she attends an online meeting with Robyn, who starts by double checking she’s happy to have this conversation in public…
Caravan Tea Party is an invitation to Sophie’s favourite caravan for a trip into her past. Moments of theatricality with puppets, teddies and audience interaction heighten the childlike wonder she had playing with family and friends in that very caravan. But one day the caravan itself went missing, and it's down to Robyn and the gang (us) to help Sophie find it.
Lauren Derry’s Sophie is a charming, likeable narrator longing for the safety she felt as a child, steered by a patient and encouraging Hannah Nox as Robyn. Derry’s performance as Sophie’s dad is brilliantly distinct, capturing that tightrope walk of a sweet but intimidating presence.
We discover that puppets and birds represent step-mums and caravans represent safe spaces away from outsiders.The creative instincts on show are exemplary. A scene between Sophie and her Dad directed simply but effectively reiterates how her Dad operates on the verge of (and overflowing into) threatening as well as Sophie's natural ability to defuse a confrontation with humour despite appearing out of control of the situation.
After I took a brief visit to the Edinburgh Fringe, seeing hugely expensive, marketable, tour-ready shows, this really reminded me of why I fell for Fringe theatre in the first place. Minimal, silly, heartfelt. Complex feelings from one individual perspective captured in some beautiful poetic writing. Using a literal therapy session as a framing device for recounting a tumultuous past is somewhat a derivative device, but Robyn’s involvement in the story adds moments of originality, but longed for more for the piece to keep up with the high energy of the first half.
A monologue towards the end of the piece captures Sophie's desire to be middle-class, and it's this dream of social mobility to achieve stability and safety that is the heart of the piece. I wish it was also explored more as it’s an interesting aspect to her character, and some further investigation into Sophie’s growth, or lack thereof, and upward social comparison would have elevated the play, which did run shorter than expected. A thoroughly enjoyable production wrapped in nostalgic joy with sound ideas executed well. I just wish there was more of it!
Caravan Tea Party played at Etcetera Theatre as part of the 2026 Camden Fringe.
★★★
Written by Brad for Theatre and Tonic, August 2026.
