Review: Cabin Fever, Edfringe

The attention to detail in Cabin Fever is second to none, with the audience being handed out laminated safety cards on entrance and ushered into their plane-style seating layout. The immensely talented Aurelia Harris-Johnstone and Beth Miles then lead us into the skies as they seamlessly slip in and out of over 10 different characters as the cabin announcement bell sounds. 

From the irritable child who won’t stop kicking the seat in front to the uptight mother who rather abuses the onboard alcohol, the relatability of the situations is what makes this 50-minute production so unmissable. The ease with which our two leading ladies multi-role really is a sight to behold, with a simple prop change each time. How they maintain so many different accents and contrasting physicalities in such quick succession is beyond me. The versatility of these two young performers is such that each character is brought to life with the utmost attention to detail and conviction, and the audience can’t help but fall in love with each new combination. We are drawn into the many scenarios until they start to intertwine as we build to the comic climax. 

The scenery is simple: two chairs and two all-important prop boxes. The performers very aptly welcome the audience in attractive cabin crew attire and then wear mainly black during the performance.  The aisle is also very well utilised by the performers, adding to the onboard illusion and effectively drawing the audience in. Sound and lighting also support the setup very nicely and help maintain the building pace. 

My sides were literally hurting from laughing so much, and this cleverly written piece includes elements that would appeal to people of all ages with such an array of relatable characters. I literally didn’t want my flight to end!

Written & Produced By Aurelia Harris-Johnstone & Beth Miles

Cabin Fever plays at The Edinburgh Fringe until Saturday August 23