Andrew Doherty: Reviewers Welcome… TO DIE!
★★★★★
If Andrew Doherty proves anything with his new horror-comedy, it’s that he really isn’t a 3-star performer.
In his latest one-man show, he plays Felix, an elitist, lonely reviewer who gave up-and-coming comedian Andrew Doherty a 3-star review. The premise is already hilarious, presented as a genuine response to the 3 stars he received for his 2025 Fringe show, Sad Gay AIDS Play. Continuing his meta approach to critiquing theatrical institutions, Doherty produces a razor-sharp satire blended with a healthy dose of absurdism and, crucially, a story I was actually invested in.
Without giving too much away, Felix is invited to a Fringe festival near Loughborough, torn from the comfort of the London elite and forced to confront some kind of demonic force. Doherty switches between a range of characters with such ease that you forget it’s only him running back and forth across the stage. The high joke yield means it doesn’t matter if you don’t know who Paula Radcliffe is because you’ll probably know Mel Giedroyc, or maybe the hymn Jerusalem (all are genuinely mentioned in the show). The true achievement of Doherty’s writing is just how much he manages to pack into the hour without losing the narrative. By the end, the story and all the jokes are tied up, complete with an anagram solved on a blackboard, and you’re laughing at things you’d forgotten were important 45 minutes ago.
There are also some genuine jump scares, and if you don’t like the sight of blood, it may be best to give this one a miss. Horror-comedy, though notoriously hard to get right, has become a staple at this year’s Fringe. It largely works because it enables a specific kind of physical comedy and keeps emotions elevated, and Doherty exploits both possibilities expertly, making Reviewers Welcome… TO DIE an undoubted standout in the genre.
I’d predict next year he’ll have no bones to pick with reviewers, although it’s impressive how he turned a 3 into a 5.
Jasmine Starbuck
Cover image via Avalon
