Michael Cox reviews a production that’s ‘funny, insightful and occasionally heartbreaking’.
It’s the early 90s and Frankie Donnelly has been sentenced to over three years in prison. He’s a drug dealer who thought he had a foolproof way of selling product, but his luck with the police has run out. He’s a sensitive soul—not a hard man at all but a writer with leftist political beliefs. Luckily for him, the prison he has been sent to is in the middle of an experimental phase of creating a more liberal approach to incarceration. That doesn’t mean his sentence will be an easy one.
Ed Edwards’ one-man play is fascinating. It’s well written and asks a lot of pertinent questions—about the prison system, but also about politics and class. Edwards takes his time spinning the plot, introducing audiences to Frankie’s life—in and out of prison—and the journey that his sentence takes him on.
The play is brilliantly performed by Mark Thomas, who is fully engaging and compelling from the start. He paints Edwards’ words effectively and creates a gripping energy that enthrals from the start. Thomas is a frequent contributor to the Fringe—usually with his own material. Here, under Charlotte Bennett’s effective direction, Thomas gives a superb performance that captivates: it’s funny, insightful and occasionally heartbreaking.
Ordinary Decent Criminal is one of the most solid productions at this year’s Fringe: a happy marriage of excellent writing, performance and stage craft.
Ordinary Decent Criminal performs at Summerhall (TechCube 0) at 11:50 until August 25, 2025.
Photo by Rebecca Need-Menear.
RSS