Credit Jeremy David Photography
By Grace Hatchell- I am writing this while parked beside a letterbox, wondering if she’s sophisticated enough for Bach or whether she’ll just clap enthusiastically and hope nobody asks follow-up questions.
Now then. Not every delivery arrives by bicycle these days. Some apparently descend from the skies attached to drones carrying emotional baggage and classical music.
And readers, this particular parcel appears to have bells on.
Fresh from me satchel — which is currently rattling with Fringe flyers and at least one suspiciously squashed mint imperial — comes Delusions and Grandeur, the returning Edinburgh Fringe production from Los Angeles performer Karen Hall, bringing together solo cello recital, clowning and a healthy helping of existential crisis.
Which, when you think about it, sounds suspiciously like most people’s twenties.
After earning Fringe Review’s coveted Teapot Trophy for Outstanding Theatre during its Summerhall run last year, Delusions and Grandeur returns to Edinburgh for 2026 with a new home at Zoo Playground 2, inviting audiences into the strange, vulnerable and beautifully foolish world of the jester.
And honestly? Grace is intrigued.
Karen Hall is no ordinary performer. A professional cellist and trained clown from Los Angeles, her career has stretched from Carnegie Hall and the Hollywood Bowl to studio soundtrack work and even four seasons appearing as the cellist on Glee. She’s performed alongside major artists including Shawn Mendes, Geoff Emerick and Yoshiki, while also working as an educator with the prestigious Music Center Los Angeles.
Which means she’s got serious musical credentials.
But Delusions and Grandeur isn’t interested in simply showing off technical brilliance.
No, this show seems more interested in asking awkward questions while making you laugh at them.
Described by Australian Arts Review as “as irreverent as it is poignant”, the production peels away the stiff formalities often surrounding classical performance and leaves something more exposed behind — not just the artist, but perhaps the audience too. Featuring Bach’s Suite Number One in G Major alongside comedic material developed through clown and “Idiot” performance work, Hall tackles identity, expectation and success through the wonderfully unreliable eyes of a fool.
And there’s something rather refreshing about that.
Because while classical music sometimes arrives wearing polished shoes and intimidating vocabulary, Delusions and Grandeur appears to stride in with muddy boots and a raised eyebrow.
The show has gathered an impressive collection of awards and praise along the way. Alongside its Edinburgh recognition, it has picked up wins across Los Angeles, Adelaide, Sydney and Hollywood Fringe festivals, plus a long list of glowing reviews including five-star praise from North West End, On the Record and The Recs. Fringe Review even named it a Must See Show at the Edinburgh Fringe.
That’s not a gentle ripple of applause.
That’s a proper standing ovation trying to happen.
Karen will not only be appearing in Edinburgh this summer but also touring to Colchester, Durham and Gothenburg Fringes, alongside performances across the UK, Europe and the USA.
So if your Fringe preferences lean toward theatre that blurs boundaries, pokes at formality and dares to mix laughter with vulnerability, this may be one to place firmly on your delivery list.
Grace cannot promise emotional stability.
But she can promise a cello.
And apparently an existential crisis thrown in at no extra charge.
Delusions and Grandeur
Zoo Playground 2, High School Yards, Edinburgh
7–30 August 2026
1:05pm–2:05pm
Delusions and Grandeur | Edinburgh Festival Fringe
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