Overtone at Pleasance Dome – Edinburgh Fringe review

Fringe First award-winner and Wardrobe Ensemble member Tom Brennan returns to the Edinburgh Fringe with Overtone, an intimate, gripping new play produced by the North Wall. A non-linear two-hander, the production follows a couple grappling with the long-shadowed aftermath of a coercive, abusive relationship with their former choir master, Alan.

Told across two parallel timelines – jumping back and forth between their teenage years in a choir and their middle-aged present – the piece explores how decades-old power dynamics leave an indelible mark. In the past, both teenagers revere Alan, who holds a tight grip over them. Years later, as a couple, they are forced to confront the consequences and blurred boundaries of that shared trauma.

Brennan’s naturalistic language is incredibly effective, opening in a surprisingly comedic style with a touch of direct address that shakes up the piece and prevents it from feeling overly conventional. The decision to feature minimal singing clever in itself, rendering the choir setup almost secondary to the central exploration of abuse.

Technically simple yet exquisitely staged, the direction captures remarkable tension – a camping sequence, in particular, expands with unbearable tight-wire precision. Kudos to director John Hoggarth, who had similar success with Brown Boys Swimming in the same venue a few years back. A striking visual motif involving a curtain pulling back from a window mirrors the slow, haunting revelation of truth.

While certain early scenes could comfortably bear a little more length and conviction, the underlying concept remains formidable. Inverting the traditional choral ideal of unity into something deeply toxic, Overtone builds to a shocking conclusion. It is a devastating, deeply reflective piece of theatre. Glee this most certainly isn’t.