SAVING BRITNEY Will Return at Edinburgh Fringe 2026
Shereen Roushbaiani's solo LGBTQ+ show plays Underbelly George Square after an Off-Broadway run at Soho Playhouse.
Fake Escape will present Saving Britney at Underbelly George Square, Bluebell, 5 – 30 Aug 2026. A Britney Spears superfan explores their parallel experiences in a solo show about pop culture and celebrity.
Drawing on writer and performer Shereen Roushbaiani's own experiences as a millennial whose life milestones have been inextricably linked to the rise and public fall of her idol Britney Spears, Saving Britney delves into celebrity obsession, parasocial relationships, and sexual identity. As the #FreeBritney movement and the high-profile legal battle over the star's conservatorship unfold, Jean navigates her own path to adulthood, questioning the thin line between protection and control and the media's problematic depiction of mental health. Melding real-world events with a deeply personal narrative, the play serves as both a nostalgic celebration for 90s pop devotees and a poignant look at how we project our lives onto the stars we love. The show originally reopened the Old Red Lion in 2021 post-lockdown, before embarking on a UK tour and an Off-Broadway run at New York's Soho Playhouse.
Saving Britney will be part Fake Escapes' Decade of Fringe season this August along with Don't You Forget About Me (Assembly Roxy, 14.20) a retelling of the iconic John Hughes film from the forgotten sixth character's perspective and a nostalgic love letter to 80s pop culture, and Day of the Locust (Pleasance Courtyard, 12.50), where Award winning multi-instrumentalist Callum Patrick Hughes rips apart and rebuilds Nathanael West's 1930's Great American Novel.
Performer and co-writer Shereen Roushbaiani said, “Oops … we did it again! Saving Britney was born to make you happy and Jean's story will make you want to scream and shout, now more than ever. This show is a massive piece of me, and I feel so excited and lucky to break the ice at Edinburgh and bring everyone the next chapter! Sometimes us Millennials need a break from the toxic circus that is the world right now and I promise this show is your perfect lover for that. So, crack out a soda pop and let's get back to work bitch!"
Fake Escape are an award-winning South-West based theatre company run by David Shopland, Matthew Grace and Lewis Oatley. Established in 2013, the company is dedicated to platforming new writing, exploring the human condition through inventive storytelling, and engaging with social and political themes while centring underrepresented voices. The company are celebrating ten years of bringing work to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, with a catalogue of works including God Is Dead and I Killed Him (2025), How Can I Help You? (2024), Did You Mean To Fall Like That (2023), Thirst (2023), Raising Kane (2023), My Father The Tantric Masseur (2019), and A Dream of Dying (2016).
Shereen Roushbaiani returns to the role of Jean in Saving Britney and has worked with Fake Escapes on other projects including Cul-de-Sac (2025) and The Boy (2023). Shereen has also appeared in a wide range of theatrical and screen performances, including Mummylogues (2021 and 2022), Starving (2020), BBC's Doctors (2018), and ITV's Midsomer Murders (2014).
David Shopland, Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Fake Escape, is a two-time WhatsOnStage and multi-Offie Award nominee who has worked internationally as a writer, director, and producer for 15 years. He is also co-founder and curator of the immersive new writing festival 20:20 Vision, run in partnership with Bath Fringe Festival.
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