Amadan and Mortair Kill the King at Gilded Ballon Patter House Review
Tartan Tabletop’s Amadan and Mortair Kill the King at Gilded Ballon’s Patter House is a side-splitting comedic farce about two kings’ men who accidentally off the monarch and the ways they attempt to cover it up.
Pulling you into the action from the get-go, there is an ease to the comedy aspect of the show, never taking its foot off the brake. Helped in turn by the cast’s ability to bounce off each other without ever feeling forced. It would be impossible to choose a standout within the cast, each bringing their own uniqueness to the roles, never overshadowing each other.
What I loved about the script, written by Alex Bathe and Josh Aitken, is the fact it is purely comedy, nothing else. A lot of comedies nowadays have the urge to add a serious plot line to give their show some substance. But Amadan and Mortair let the comedy take centre stage and is all the stronger for it.
For a smaller-sized stage, the show is able to do a decent amount of physicality, even having a full-scale performance of a Frank Sinatra classic thrown in for good measure. And it has to be mentioned the magnificence of the King’s robe designed by Nuala Dunbar, telling us of his grandeur before ever uttering a word.
Amadan and Mortair Kill the King stands out as a must-see of this year’s Fringe, and yes, I will have the “Theme from New York, New York” stuck in my head for the foreseeable future.
Amadan and Mortair Kill the King plays at Blether at Gilded Balloon Patter House until 14 August.
★★★★★
Written by Kerry for Theatre and Tonic, August 2026.
