Jitters at Summerhall – Edinburgh Fringe review

Two women of identical age step into a dressing room. One in a vintage bridal dress, the other in a formal shirt and trousers. You might expect standard pre-wedding banter. Instead, in the biting, brilliant world of Ellen Robertson’s Jitters, the setup is far more fraught: 32-year-old Charlotte is about to marry a 60-something widower, who just happens to be the father of her contemporary, El. Naturally El isn’t best pleased.

What unfolds is a remarkably sharp, funny, and surprisingly layered exploration of late-millennial anxiety, privilege, and the looming weight of life-altering choices. Directed with exquisite precision by star director Emily Burns, the production never succumbs to the static trap of its single-room setting. Burns keeps the tempo crackling, ratcheting up the tension and pre-ceremony nerves while allowing the play’s weightier themes room to breathe.

Robertson’s dialogue sizzles with top-tier zingers – El skewers the performative nature of the impending nuptials by noting the institution of marriage can feels like “LARPing.” Yet beneath the comedy, the script has time to dig a little deeper: it wrestles with the complex dynamics of grief, El’s father lost his first wife just 18 months prior, and questions whether this union offers genuine emotional stability, or merely a financial patch for Charlotte’s precarious circumstances.

Darker undertones simmer just beneath the slick surface. Subtle red flags about the unseen groom begin to stack up – not least his insistence that Charlotte abstain from vaping, and a skin-crawling compliment that he “loves her pale.” Between discussions on biological clocks, the societal expectations of motherhood, and the inevitable reality of aging spouses, the play crafts an uncomfortably recognisable portrait of modern relationships – and modern society.

There’s also two excellent performances – Robertson’s gnarly cynicism about Charlotte’s actions is rebuffed excellently by Charly Clive’s forced-smile-sporting, overly patronising bride-to-be – despite being the same age, she’s already rehearsing for the mother-in-law role, repeatedly running her tongue over her teeth as if to mask a clenched jaw.

Transitioning from comedy expertise (Robertson and Clive are perhaps best known for their comedy partnership Britney) into more serious theatrical territory, this debut outing from the creative duo proves to be an impressive feat. Deeply perceptive, strong pacing, and undeniably sharp hour of theatre. Bouquets all round.

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