What’s in Grace’s Satchel? 29.05.2025
Mermaids. Meltdowns. And more sparkle than my nan’s New Year’s lashes.
Alright, my darlings—if you’ve ever said “no worries if not!” through gritted teeth or cried in a public loo because someone looked at you funny, then Tall Tails might just be your Fringe fix.
This debut comedy from The Red Kitchen Collective drops five fabulously frazzled mermaids into a retreat for chronic people-pleasers. It’s heartfelt, hysterical, and gloriously unhinged—think friendship, fishnets, and feelings galore. And yes, there’s glitter. Of course there’s glitter.
Catch it at 53 theSpace@Surgeons’ Hall – Theatre 2 from August 1–9. Bring your pals, your unresolved childhood thoughts, and maybe a waterproof mascara. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll probably overthink both.
Tall Tails
Edinburgh Fringe 2025
August 1–9 | 53 theSpace@Surgeons’ Hall – Theatre 2
Five mermaids. One chronic people-pleasers retreat. Far too many feelings.
Tall Tails is a clam-tastically absurd and soulfully silly debut comedy that dives fin-first into the glittering depths of friendship, fishnets, and female angst. Brought to life by the fearless Red Kitchen Collective, this sparkling new show makes a splash at the Edinburgh Fringe from August 1–9, 2025.
Set in a surreal underwater retreat for emotionally exhausted sea sirens, Tall Tails follows five mermaids who are all out of pep talks and positive affirmations. Each one is battling burnout, battling boundaries, and trying (and failing) to stop saying “sorry” for existing. As the retreat unfolds, secrets bubble to the surface, friendships are tested, and the mermaids begin to ask the one question they’ve been avoiding: who am I if I stop trying to make everyone else happy?
While the aquatic setting is fantastical, the emotional core is strikingly real. Through character-driven storytelling, bursts of nostalgic 90s flair, and moments of surreal humour, Tall Tails explores the tangled web of perfectionism, people-pleasing, and the murky transition from girlhood to adulthood. Think pastel shells, overworked nervous systems, and enough glitter to qualify as a health hazard.
This genre-bending, heart-sparkling comedy speaks directly to a generation of anxious overthinkers and ex-gifted kids trying to figure out how to live authentically without falling apart. Audiences can expect big laughs, teary chuckles, and those raw, quiet moments of “oof, I’ve been there.”
Born out of late-night conversations, group therapy memes, and the shared experience of being emotionally fried, Tall Tails is the result of collaborative improvisation, collective writing, and one very peculiar brainstorm involving “what if mermaids went on a self-help retreat?”
“We kept circling this image of sparkly mythical beings drowning in self-help language,” says co-creator and performer Alexa Stevens. “They’re still smiling, still people-pleasing, still adding exclamation points to every email—even as their tails are tangled in anxiety. There was something hilarious and heartbreaking about it. And it felt like the perfect metaphor for being in your mid-twenties.”
Blending whimsy with emotional truth, Tall Tails invites you to laugh, relate, and maybe rethink your relationship with the phrase “No worries if not!”
Tall Tails | Edinburgh Festival Fringe
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