STAYIN' ALIVE to Make Edinburgh Fringe Debut
Written and performed by Victoria Oxley, the show runs at Gilded Balloon Patter House in Edinburgh.
Stayin' Alive will come to Edinburgh Fringe. Performances will run at Gilded Balloon Patter House (Blether), 2 Commercial Street, Edinburgh, EH6 6JA, Wednesday 5th - Monday 31st August 2026 (not 12th, 19th, 26th), 15:40.
Written and performed by Liverpudlian actor and writer Victoria Oxley, Stayin' Alive is a riotously funny and brutally honest new play about the unexpected chaos of living with mental illness in a world that often feels unyielding. It offers a heartfelt and unflinching exploration of survival, driven by biting Scouse wit and comic energy.
Set against the backdrop of The Blue Anchor pub, where Maggie reconnects with her sister Anne Marie, the story explores complicated family relationships, loss and resilience. With music and working men's club culture woven throughout, Stayin' Alive is a powerful examination of OCD, class and the people who shape us.
Maggie's nan is dead, her therapist is useless, and her sister is threatening to knock her out. Maggie? She's still living in her nan's house. The walls are closing in, but somewhere between The Blue Anchor pub, a couple of dodgy tribute acts, and a broken Alexa, she might just work out how she got here and find a reason to stay.
Driven by lived experience, Stayin' Alive draws on Oxley's own experience of OCD and is inspired by her grandmother, a Scouse working-class matriarch who helped raise her. Shaped by the humour and security she found in that relationship; the play is both a love letter to that relationship. Through accessing support herself, Oxley became increasingly aware that such support is not available to everyone. From that realisation, Maggie was born.
Victoria Oxley comments, Stayin’ Alive is driven by the desire to bring a little more compassion, humour and understanding to a world that can feel short of all three. Maggie represents so many of us, but is a voice that often goes unheard in society, and I believe audiences can learn something from her story or leave feeling a little more understood. And who doesn’t want to see Cilla Crack and Pelvis Presley in all their chaotic brilliance?!
Directed by Megan Marie Griffith, Stayin' Alive is a story about learning to navigate life when the person who meant everything is no longer there. It explores how our surroundings and upbringing shape us, how we survive within the circumstances we inherit, and what happens when there is no support system or financial safety net to fall back on. At its heart, the play examines the lasting impact of class and community, and the ways they continue to influence us long into adulthood.
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