Credit: Paul Ashley
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY AMATEUR DRAMATIC CLUB
“Chicks before dicks, bros before hoes… girl time before heinous crime!”
Ever heard of ride-or-die friendship? Well, Penelope’s just upgraded it to ride-or-drag-the-bod. Stylishly, of course!
From the delightfully deranged minds at Cambridge University Amateur Dramatic Club comes Penelope Quadrangle and the Meaning of Friendship — a gloriously absurd comedy where murder is just the beginning, and codependency is dressed to kill (probably in something from Zara’s ‘gaslight, gatekeep, girl boss’ collection).
Imagine Bridget Jones if she swapped dating disasters for homicide clean-up, and you’re halfway there. Amenie Groves’ Fringe debut is a hilarious, horrifying look at loneliness, loyalty, and just how far one woman will go to preserve a very one-sided friendship.
It’s got blood, banter, and a best friend who might be a sociopath. But hey, nobody’s perfect.
What would you do if your best friend murdered someone? For Penelope Quadrangle, the answer is simple: hide the body. Sure, her bestie Natalie doesn’t talk much, or invite her to birthday drinks, and might be a serial killer, but without Natalie, she’d be nothing. So when Natalie brutally murders a client at their workplace, priority number one is make sure nobody ever finds out. Ever. If Penelope is one thing, it’s loyal. (And extremely well dressed. And absolutely, definitely, not lonely).
Penelope Quadrangle and the Meaning of Friendship is an original absurdist comedy written by Amenie Groves, marking her Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut. The play was first performed at Cambridge’s ADC theatre in May 2024 to rave reviews, which led it to secure a spot as the University of Cambridge’s Fringe Festival selection for 2025. Tackling themes of loneliness and friendship struggles as a young woman, Penelope Quadrangle successfully utilises absurdism and a nostalgia for Bridget Jones-esque media to ask its audience: what really makes a friend?
The Cambridge University Amateur Dramatic Club is the oldest student dramatic society in the country and the resident company at the ADC Theatre. It puts on around 20 shows every year and aims to spread interest in the theory and practice of theatre in order to encourage the active involvement of students, regardless of their previous experience.
LISTINGS INFORMATION
VENUE: Ivy Studio, Greenside @ George Street
DATES: 1-16 August 2025
TIME: 19:45 (0hr55)
TICKET PRICES: £12 / concessions £10
FRINGE BOX OFFICE: 0131 226 0000 Penelope Quadrangle and the Meaning of Friendship | Edinburgh Festival Fringe
SUITABLE FOR 12+
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