Review: BRIGHTON FRINGE REVIEW: FOR THE RECORD, Junk Poets - Caravanserai

What if you were forced to spend eternity with your ex? That’s the deliciously awkward premise behind For The Record, in which former lovers David and Nancy reunite in a kind of musical purgatory to revisit their relationship, and wrestle with the question of what might have been.

It’s an inventive concept, blending music, memory and puppetry into an afterlife-set relationship drama. Not every creative choice lands, but there’s enough charm and originality here to keep you on board.

Feliz Berendse is instantly watchable as David, delivering a grounded, emotionally open performance that gives the show much of its heart. Farrah Alice Black takes a little longer to find her rhythm as Nancy; initially less rooted, she grows into the role as the show progresses, and by the second half the dynamic between the pair feels much more lived-in and affecting.

Then there’s the puppetry. It’s funny. It’s weird. It’s definitely a choice. But while it adds a layer of absurdity - which is never out of place at the Fringe! - it never quite justifies its place in the storytelling. I kept wanting the show to either fully embrace the madness or let it go. Lean into the chaos. Let the afterlife become utterly unhinged.

What stayed with me most, though, were the moments where the show hinted at something deeper: those existential little stabs about the “sliding doors” moments of our lives. Dwelling on the alternate paths we could have taken, or the people that we might have become. Kudos to the team for touching on the subject of motherhood, normalising how the feelings of deep and unwavering love for your child can co-exist with feelings of regret and curiousity about what life would have been without them.

With a deeper exploration of that melancholy - both in writing and performance - For the Record could transform from a good Fringe show into a memorable one.

That’s the recurring feeling with For The Record: it’s good, but it’s flirting with being great. The performances are committed and the concept is genuinely fresh, it just needs a little more confidence in its own eccentricity.

Still, this is Fringe, and this is exactly what Fringe should be: bold, a little odd, and full of ideas. For The Record may not quite hit every note, but it’s a thoughtful piece with plenty of promise.