Brighton Fringe Review: WUMMY, The Quadrant

Wummy is the tale of a wannabe 'yummy-mummy' who is broke, sharing a flat with undesirable housemmates...and absolutely certain she was destined for more. We follow her quest to manifest the dream life - complete with a Chelsea townhouse, doting husband, and, of course, a bouncing baby - but when the universe throws her a curveball, Wummy is forced to rethink what “having it all” really means.

This one-woman comedy from Charis King takes a while to find its footing and the pace feels slow for a story that's so chaotic. Some scenes where she embodies several characters feel laboured and the piece would benefit from stripping it back to focus more on King's reaction to them rather than the characters themselves. However, King has created a very relatable character in Wummy and she's a confident performer, handling several technical issues (ah, the Fringe...!) with ease.

Elements involving the audience work well, using inflatable props and arts & crafts to invite us into her world. I would have liked to have seen more of those improv elements peppered throughout as that's where the biggest laughs can be found.

Wummy finds itself in something of an identity crisis—not unlike its titular character. The show juggles character comedy and moments of genuine vulnerability, but occasionally struggles to decide exactly what it wants to be. Still, there's a strong foundation here: sharp writing, a capable performance, and a concept that feels relatable. With some tightening of its structure, Wummy could easily evolve from a promising work-in-progress into a standout piece of solo theatre.

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