EDINBURGH 2025: Review: ADA & BRON: THE ORIGIN OF LOVE, Pleasance Courtyard

Gloriously unhinged BAFTA-nominated newcomers Ada and Bron bring their chaotic brand of sketch character comedy to the Edinburgh Fringe with The Origin of Love, a fast-paced, surreal and delightfully filthy exploration of romance, in all of its very strangest forms.

This is an hour of debauchery, live music and absurd extremes, delivered with enviable and epic levels of energy, fearless commitment, and a dedication to an exploration of how soulmates operate. The commitment makes it all together impossible to look away.

The show bursts into life with a surreal primitive cellular take on soulmates, as the pair emerge as eerie white-shrouded figures, clawing their way from togetherness to a somewhat divided freedom. From there, the sketches tumble one into another in erratic splendour; a suburban 1970s affair dripping with lust, a lonely elderly woman seduced by a sexual health robot, a depraved rock and roll couple bound together by the most grotesque of habits, and awkwardly confessional monologues from characters you both pity, have empathy for and lament with.

Ada and Bron throw themselves into each scenario with infectious high-voltage energy, their quick changes and sharp timing making the absurd seem effortlessly natural and oddly satisfying.

Adding another layer to the chaos is pianist Ed Lyness. His live score shifts between playful underscoring and knowing musical jokes, giving each sketch an extra spark of theatricality. The combination of tightly rehearsed beats and an anything-could-happen atmosphere makes the hour feel unpredictable yet tightly constructed.

Ada and Bron: The Origin of Love is an absurdist full throttle look at base love. In warning, this show is not a slow lead in, be prepared for a relentless pace, with an attitude to embrace the excess and submit to the creative process. The Origin of Love is a chaotic, wild and addictive. A gloriously unhinged ride, which rewards an audience willing to clasp the absurd. Ada and Bron are a double act to witness fervent playfulness, with enlivened wonder. 

Ada and Bron: The Origin of Love, runs at The Pleasance Courtyard, The Attic from 23:00-00:00 until 24 August

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