Looking for a well-crafted, fully formed and flawlessly performed show for your final few days on the Fringe? This fine piece of theatre tells the poignant story of actress Tilly Wedekind, lover, muse and wife of the better remembered Frank (who wrote the original ‘Spring Awakening’). Tilly suffers greatly from his selfish ambition and morbid jealousy. But, even if it is Tilly telling it (as she finally did, 50 years after Frank’s death), the writing is far too good to be entirely one-sided or lacking in nuance. It is after all about love and its complexities, on which the play achieves real insight, exploring two intertwined lives in theatre to illuminate how role-playing underpins but can also undermine relationships.

Gilded Balloon at Appleton Tower, until 24 Aug.
tw rating 4/5 | [Alan Cranston]