Afterparty at Traverse Theatre Review
Image: Marc Brenner
After Party follows Glam-ma and faded starlet, Vivienne Blackwood, at her 80th birthday party where she has invited her fractured family to celebrate with her. At the party a series of revelations from each family member come out, solidifying familial tensions and fractured relationships. The main theme, revealed in the first ten minutes, is that Vivienne has planned to end her life the day after her party via assisted dying, after her terminal cancer diagnosis. However the dynamics were predictable, and the revelations were nothing we haven’t seen before. After Party is trying to be Pinter but without offering a new perspective.
Despite being one of the best and most competent venues in Edinburgh as it functions as a theatre all year round, After Party did little to take advantage of the venues scale. There were technical issues with microphones, lack of projection from performers and a general sense of detachment from the material. The design was also simplistic, transitions clunky, and the direction came across as unthoughtful and aimless. This can be felt in the performances. All of the actors have moments of melodrama which still somehow seem naked on the Traverse’s biggest stage, then contrasted with moments of smaller vulnerability which actually filled the space much more effectively.
After Party has moments of real tenderness and humour which are the more successful elements of the play. Especially in the final 20 minutes as some of the prettier endings an audience may expect are not given in a traditional way. There are some lovely moments where the theme of assisted dying is explored - and this is still a rare and new theme in today’s major theatre scene. However, the play deals with too many characters and side plots to effectively communicate the core message of what they are trying to say.
The show runs at 2 hours and 5 minutes with a 10-minute interval, and if you’re at the Edinburgh Fringe for a limited time, seeing After Party really takes a chunk out of your days viewing. Although the show has some moments of great humour and wit within the script - it feels like some streamlining needs to be done to pack more of a punch with its core messaging.
After Party is playing at The Traverse Theatre at the Edinburgh Fringe from the 6th August to the 30th August.
★★
Written by Eloise for Theatre and Tonic, August 2026.
Contains haze, flashing lights, strong language, references to assisted dying, death, cancer and pregnancy/childbirth, and depictions of alcohol consumption, vomiting and drugs/drug use.
