Top of the World – Heart, Humour and a Blanket Fort Full of Feels
Catching a show in one of the earliest slots of the day is always a bit of a gamble — the coffee hasn’t quite kicked in, the city is still shaking off its hangover, and audiences can take a while to warm up. But Top of the World wasted no time pulling me in. Within minutes, the world outside disappeared and I was sat right in the middle of a story about love, sisterhood, and the messy business of moving on.
The set was immediately inviting — cleverly designed and packed with personality. It drops us into Audrey’s world, which is a careful blend of reality and retreat. Audrey likes things just so. She keeps her anxieties at bay with strict routines, her vivid imagination, and her pièce de résistance: a blanket fort that wouldn’t look out of place in an interiors magazine. But life doesn’t stay neat forever. Enter Evelyn — her sister, with a sharper tongue, Tupperware full of bolognese in hand, and a secret she’s been keeping. What follows is a reunion where old memories resurface, long-buried tensions rise, and both women are forced to face truths they’d rather leave under the blanket.
The performances from both actors were a real highlight. They gave us fully realised, distinct characters — Audrey’s fragility and humour balancing against Evelyn’s directness and emotional weight. The chemistry between them was believable, and it’s this authenticity that makes the heartfelt moments hit as hard as the laughs. There’s a lived-in quality to their interactions; you feel the years of shared history, the sibling shorthand, and the unspoken affection underneath the bickering.
The writing was sharp, with dialogue that danced naturally between witty one-liners and poignant silences. The humour was well-placed — never forced, and all the more effective for being grounded in truth. The pacing kept things moving without rushing, giving space for those heavier emotional beats to land.
For a morning Fringe performance, the audience was engaged from start to finish. There was laughter in the right places, that collective hush when things turned tender, and a warm round of applause at the end. The staging also deserves extra applause — Fringe productions don’t often have the luxury of elaborate set-ups, but this one used its props thoughtfully and to great effect. The blanket fort alone is almost a character in itself.
While I can imagine Top of the World thriving in a mid- to late-afternoon slot when audiences are at their liveliest, the time of day doesn’t take away from what’s on stage. This is a piece that blends humour, warmth, and emotional depth beautifully — a reminder that even in the most complicated relationships, love has a way of breaking through.
★★★★ – A heartfelt, funny, and finely staged slice of Fringe theatre. Well worth a spot on your hit list.
Absolutely spot on review and as nicely written as this play. Went this morning and loved it.