{"id":1154897,"date":"2026-08-18T03:58:23","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T03:58:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1154897\/"},"modified":"2026-08-18T03:58:23","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T03:58:23","slug":"review-the-poetical-life-of-philomena-mcguinness-fringe-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1154897\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: The Poetical Life of Philomena McGuinness, Fringe 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

Written by Josh King<\/strong> and performed by Jasmin Gleeson<\/strong>, The Poetical Life of Philomena McGuinness is a sharp, moving 50-minute solo play from Edinburgh\u2019s Moon Rabbit Theatre. Staged at Theatre 3 inside theSpace @ Surgeons\u2019 Hall on Nicolson Street, the production follows a young Irish woman who moves to London in 1939 to begin nursing training just as the Second World War breaks out.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

While her posting places her on hospital wards confronting the reality of wartime trauma, Philomena insists she is, first and foremost, a poet, despite having yet to write a single line of verse. Gleeson commands the compact performance space with poise, turning what could be an overwhelmingly heavy historical premise into an intimate, absorbing character study.<\/p>\n

Finding Poetry in the Chaos of War<\/p>\n

Moon Rabbit Theatre specialises in historical one-woman plays, and King\u2019s script plays to that niche with precision. As the Blitz hits London and Philomena is sent to treat battlefield wounds, the narrative avoids melodramatic despair. Instead, Philomena meets every challenge with grounded wit, practical Irish wisdom, and a taste for whisky, which she treats with the caution of a wild animal.<\/p>\n

The production balances the grim reality of wartime Britain with Philomena\u2019s core belief that human beings are always more than just their jobs or what others see them do. Gleeson ensures the audience stays gripped throughout, moving easily between the dry humour of hospital life and the emotional weight of historical sacrifice.<\/p>\n

An Intimate Performance of Great Scale<\/p>\n

Staged in the close-quarters setting of Theatre 3, the show thrives on subtlety. Every raised eyebrow, shift in posture, and spoken reflection carries weight, making a story of global conflict feel intensely personal. Gleeson ensures that Philomena feels real from the opening moments, presenting a character who remains rooted in the present rather than collapsing under the weight of an uncertain future.<\/p>\n

The writing allows Gleeson to deliver big storytelling through small, devastating gestures. It captures the multitude and magnitude of ordinary people caught in extraordinary circumstances, keeping the audience completely invested in Philomena\u2019s journey from start to finish.<\/p>\n

Overall<\/p>\n

The Poetical Life of Philomena McGuinness is a standout piece of small, independent Fringe theatre. Jasmin Gleeson delivers a compelling, tender performance that honours real wartime history while celebrating the stubborn, poetical spirit of those who lived through it.<\/p>\n

Explore More On Edinburgh Reviews<\/p>\n

Searching for related content…<\/p>\n

Review: The Poetical Life of Philomena McGuinness<\/p>\n

Andrew Girdwood<\/p>\n

Moon Rabbit Theatre delivers a poignant, witty 4.7-star solo performance in The Poetical Life of Philomena McGuinness at theSpace @ Surgeons\u2019 Hall.<\/p>\n

Summary<\/p>\n

Jasmin Gleeson delivers a masterclass in solo performance in The Poetical Life of Philomena McGuinness at theSpace @ Surgeons Hall. An Irish nurse in 1939 London proves we are always more than our wartime duties. Sharp, funny, and deeply moving theatre.<\/p>\n

\n\tRelated<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Written by Josh King and performed by Jasmin Gleeson, The Poetical Life of Philomena McGuinness is a sharp,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1154898,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[8816],"tags":[748,307141,1102,307142,4884,65,314120,712,2764,301742,16,15],"class_list":["post-1154897","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-edinburgh","tag-britain","tag-edfest","tag-edinburgh","tag-fringe-2026","tag-great-britain","tag-historical","tag-moon-rabbit-theatre","tag-scotland","tag-theatre","tag-thespace","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/117114511853923268","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1154897","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1154897"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1154897\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1154898"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1154897"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1154897"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1154897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}