Daddy at Summerhall – Edinburgh Fringe review

Part of the House of Oz strand at Summerhall, Joel Bray’s Daddy is a wonderfully left-field, deeply felt piece of participatory performance art. Exploring his identity as he enters his late 40s, Bray, a Wiradjuri, queer man, uses the theatrical space not necessarily to provide easy answers, but to ask the vital questions that help him process his place in the world.

Staged in the venue’s main hall, the production breaks down conventional barriers from the outset. The audience is invited directly onto the stage to sit alongside him, at one point morphing the space into an adhoc nightclub. Through movement, dance, and playful audience interaction (including a memorable moment where spectators shower him in sugary treats), Bray builds an atmosphere that feels intimately communal.

Beneath its playful exterior, the core of the piece sees the performer processing the complex relationship with his own father, grappling with what he meant, or failed to mean, to him. Simultaneously, Bray acknowledges his own aging process, contemplating what it signifies to step into the role of a “daddy” himself within queer culture. As an audience, you feel yourself act as a sanctuary for Bray to unpack heavy, multifaceted themes around Aboriginal identity and the enduring impacts of colonialism, all woven into a single hour. By removing the distance of a traditional auditorium and having the crowd stand, sit, and dance right beside him, the piece allows you to feel his plight far more keenly than a standard stage play ever could.

Never over-ambitious or heavy-handed, Daddy delivers a subtly nuanced, deeply rewarding depiction of self-discovery. It is a poignant, generous work that offers far more resonance than its sweet surface initially suggests – and even at a late performance slot will linger with you.

See all our Edinburgh reviews below.