Date: 24 August 2026
Time: 12.40pm – 1.35pm
Venue: Venue 45 at theSpace @ Venue 45
Running time: 55 minutes
Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)
Reviewed by: Bella Pirintji
Fringe Run: 17 – 29 August
Ticket Price: £14.50 (£13 + £1.50 booking fee)
Age Suitability: 14+ (guideline)
Performers: Shark Bait Theatre (@sharkbaittheatre)
Link: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/hope-this-helps
Shark Bait Theatre’s Hope This Helps! holds a mirror up to contemporary society by exploring themes of technology and loneliness through satire and comedy.
Set in a phone-free retreat in the Scottish Highlands, the story follows a group of participants as they interact over a number of tension-filled days. We meet the retreat owner, a grieving sibling duo, a man-obsessed American tourist and a WLW couple on the rocks.
The storyline is entertaining, with the right amount of drama for its 55-minute duration. The script is impressively up-to-date, full of current references to films, pop culture and memes (even the show’s title is a reference to sarcastic online comments). Including so many trends can risk a piece becoming almost instantly dated, uncool or ‘cringe’. This isn’t the case here.
The play also touches on more serious topical concepts like the manosphere, misogyny, AI relationships and online porn. It handles them through satire and inoffensive comedy, which landed well with the mixed audience. There are some more general dark topics like grief and infidelity. While these are central to the plot, they’re not explored to an extent that makes this a particularly deep, depressing or emotional piece. Funny interactions between imperfect but likeable characters help to maintain a lighthearted atmosphere that leaves you feeling good.
The strength and prominence of this show’s comedic aspect is what I found most unexpected. Successful delivery of a witty script had members of the audience laughing and giggling, as different moments seemed to resonate with different people.
The set and costumes are simple: the actors don beige linens on a mostly white stage with stools, deck chairs and a few props. This suits the show, helping us imagine the sense of ‘lack’ the characters are feeling without internet access. Combined with relatable, believable characters and a semicircular stage setup, I was feeling immersed.
This is a Scottish production that works well for an international audience. The storyline and acting alone are probably enough to entertain an older, or less chronically online, crowd. However, the clever references to several internet topics really add an it-factor, showing us how we are probably in need of a technology detox ourselves.
Overall, Hope This Helps! never feels like it’s ‘doing too much’. It’s a straightforward and entertaining cultural reality check, brought to life by local talent.
