EDINBURGH FRINGE: Heart Beats Strong at Bunker 2 Pleasance Courtyard, venue 33 (55 mins)*****

The first show of my 2026 Fringe – and it couldn’t have got off to a better start.

For although they are just starting out in the world, National Youth Theatre alumni Alfie Wickham, Noah Manzoor and Kai Porter, present an extraordinary exploration of adolescence which will appeal to young and old alike.

Based on their own experiences, they are facing their fears and are already making audiences sit up and listen to what it is like growing up in today’s world.

They literally hit the ground running with heartfelt stories of discovering their sexuality, relationships and how they perceive themselves. It is raw, poignant, funny and always honest, punctuated with powerful, innovative dance, the style of which they can call their own. Perfectly choreographed, it lets them express even more of their feelings. 

Though they describe it as ‘an antidote to the crisis of masculinity in our culture but  funny and dance-y and a little bit silly’, it is in fact, a piece of great maturity and yet it’s their tales of embarrassing moments, teenage awkwardness, first sexual encounters, longing for a father’s attention, and dealing with being a ‘brown Brit’ which gives it the vulnerability young people will be able to identify with.

Heart Beats Strong is a brave, bold and important piece which can only help young audiences realise they are not alone, and not weird. They belong. One of the most poignant moments for me was when Noah, in an imaginary conversation with his mother, says, ‘Mum, are you proud of being brown?’ She replies, ‘Yes, because I’m proud of being me’.

Heart Beats Strong is at Bunker 2 Pleasance Courtyard until Aug 31 at 12.20pm