Linus Karp Was Hit With An Umbrella at Underbelly Bristo Square – Edinburgh Fringe review

Awkward Prods, the creative force behind high-camp cult hits like Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story and Gwyneth Goes Skiing, have long since mastered their own brand of anarchic, celebratory queer theatre.

But in Linus Karp Was Hit With An Umbrella, Karp, a famed Edinburgh Fringe artist, steps into uncharted territory by tackling a deeply personal true story, filtered through the company’s distinctive blend of comedic performance, storytelling, and theatrical invention.

The piece takes a real-life incident from July 2024 as its jumping-off point. While walking through London’s Soho holding hands, Karp and his partner of 11 years, Joseph Martin, were accosted by a man who struck Linus across the head with an umbrella while shouting aggressive threats. Martin chased, accosted, and tackled the attacker to the ground, holding him until police vehicles arrived.

With some distance from the event, Karp returns to that moment to examine its psychological aftermath and lasting impact on his everyday life as a queer person. The show sensitively charts the shock, the police response, and the slow legal process, while also tapping into a witty running joke about requesting a commission from the Soho Theatre.

Dramaturged by Olivier Award nominee Haley McGee, the piece moves beyond memoir: Karp explores the social media response by distributing comments to audience members to read aloud, highlighting the assumptions and emotional assertions made when posting about such attacks publicly. The final section, perhaps overreaching at some points, explores ideas of closure and catharsis, all done in an earnest, comprehensive style.

Despite the serious subject matter, it remains rooted in Awkward Prods’ signature style: witty, occasionally absurd, and distinctly theatrical. It also leans gracefully on Karp’s upbringing. Highly impressive and remarkably solid, this is a tight, uplifting hour of Fringe theatre.

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