EDINBURGH 2026: Review: BIG STUFF, Assembly Roxy
Matt Baram and Naomi Snieckus bring their Canadian hit about grief, memory, and inherited clutter to the Fringe.
Who hasn't lost someone? Loss and grief are beasts we navigate daily, an unavoidable truth that hits painfully close to home after losing my dad nearly two years ago. Eventually, grieving demands sorting through the physical remains of a life. And as a hoarder, who's the daughter of a bigger hoarder, who's the son of an even bigger hoarder... there is an overwhelming amount of stuff.
This is the emotional terrain of Big Stuff. Second City alumni Matt Baram and Naomi Snieckus tackle this burden of inheritance with sharp affection, transforming personal loss into a warm comedy about physical memory. The show sits right on that aching tension: do we remember someone through an object, an experience, or a word? And the biggest question of: If I let go of the object, do I let go of the person?
Directed by Kat Sandler, the show is fueled by the couple’s lived-in friction: Snieckus is the sentimental hoarder of memories, while Baram advocates for the pragmatic "dump box." Watching them navigate their contrasting grieving styles reveals a sharp, observational beat-awareness. They effortlessly feed off each other's impulses, working through their differences to make their marriage feel charming, collaborative, and deeply wholesome.
They avoid aimless improvisation by centering audience interactions on their thesis: objects as memory-containers. Weaving an audience member's teapot or sewing box into the narrative serves the story rather than acting as filler. The pacing is smooth, pivoting effortlessly from broad comedy to quiet honesty.
While it doesn't aim for radical reinvention, it succeeds through its vulnerable warmth. If you’ve ever stood in a room full of boxes wondering why you’re holding onto a broken toaster (or in my case, stacks of CDs and theatre programs) this show will leave you teary-eyed, comforted, and maybe a little more willing to let go (or in my case, go and hold the 'stuff' nearer when I get home).
Big Stuff plays at Assembly Roxy (Roxy Boxy) until 30th August.
Get Broadway News on WhatsApp
Receive the latest updates, breaking news, and exclusive coverage from Broadway directly in WhatsApp.
Love Theater in Ireland? Join The Community!
Whether you've got past experience writing about theater or just starting, the BroadwayWorld Community offers a unique opportunity to become a champion for your local arts community, helping raise awareness of local offerings and adding another local voice to the conversation at a time arts coverage is shrinking in the press across the continent. Join us and become a pivotal part of the movement that celebrates and promotes the arts in the digital age.
Learn More
|
David Nihill: Taking Tangents The Everyman (10/03-10/03) |
|
|
Murder Trial Tonight V - Death in the Family 3Olympia Theatre (3/08-3/08) |
|
Two MR PS In a Podcast: Live - Let That Be a Lesson Ambassador Theatre (2/27-2/27) |
|
Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage Bord Gais Energy Theatre (3/02-3/13) |
|
Disney Princess: the Concert 3Olympia Theatre (4/21-4/22) |
|
Cats Bord Gais Energy Theatre (3/16-3/20) |
|
TEMPLE BAR THE MUSICAL Smock Alley Dublin Municipal Theatre (8/27-8/29) |
|
|
Mná na hÉireann Ambassador Theatre (10/14-10/16) |
|
Stories from the Sea The Everyman (9/26-9/26) |
|
Dracula Gaiety Theatre (11/03-11/07) |
Reader Reviews
To post a comment, you must register and login.