Beacon and Tide Productions bring their show Broke & Fabulous in the 21st Century, a comedy play, to Edinburgh Fringe this year. It’s written by Dale Robertson and stars Olive McHugh, both of whom stopped by to tell us about the play and their Fringe thoughts and experiences.
“Broke and Fabulous in the 21st Century is an unabashed dramedy about two fabulous best friends, Alex and Petunia, chasing their dreams and navigating love in their chaotic 30s. This millennial love letter is a riotous ode to friendship, ambition and the ridiculousness of modern love. So come grab a drink, darlings! and let us split your sides with this honestly raucous, raunchy play, proving that even broke and frazzled you can always be fabulous…”
Where: Dram at Gilded Balloon Patter House
When: 5-31 Aug
Ticket link: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/broke-and-fabulous-in-the-21st-century
What can you tell us about your show? What is it about and where did the idea come from?
Dale – Honestly, the inception came from a need to get my Global Talent artist visa or face deportation from the UK back to Australia. As a performer, most of my experience is on the stage, but this was my first time writing, producing, directing and starring in my own work.
The idea for the story came from the notion that if this play wasn’t going to be my debut, it was going to be my swan song. I knew that the audience would be filled with our nearest & dearest, and if it was going to be my last hurrah on a UK stage, I wanted those friends and chosen family to know that I loved them and that I hoped they would see a bit of our story together expressed on stage.
I started writing Broke & Fabulous in the 21st Century on 10 September, 2025. I knew I wanted to create something funny, raucous, and reflect Millennial dilemmas. By October, the crew and cast were finalised, and on the 2nd of December we opened at the Etcetera Theatre in Camden. I truly couldn’t be more proud of what we as a team have accomplished in such a short amount of time.
How would you sell it to audiences in one paragraph?
Olive – The thing I love about Broke & Fabulous in the 21st Century is that it is hugely relatable. It’s a hysterical drama comedy about what it means to be a Millennial living in London today. It follows Alex as he navigates chasing his dreams, dealing with the cost of living crisis, and the eternal quagmire that is men, all from his guardianship in East London, with his absolutely fabulous (no, seriously, she is like Edina and Patsy’s 30-year-old 2026 millennial iteration) best friend, Petunia.
At a time when many Millennials find themselves balancing impossible expectations with financial insecurity, the show also asks whether anyone can still find real love when dating has become an endless cycle of swipes, situationships and ghosting. While celebrating friendship, ambition and the city of London itself.
Do you enjoy participating in the Fringe? And do you have any moments you particularly remember?
Dale – This will be my second EdFringe; I first went in 2024 with a production called Dead Animals at The Space. It was a great first foray into the wonderful chaos that is Edinburgh Fringe; the show itself had a mixed reception, but the whole adventure was a truly joyous and formative experience.
Going back up this time, everything is completely different. From being selected by Gilded Balloon, having the wonderful support of CNC PR, and bringing up a show that is completely ours, under our own company Beacon & Tide Productions, with everything learned from the first Fringe, it really feels like a whole new exciting ball game.
Olive – This will be my first time going to Edinburgh, but Fringe theatre has been a love of mine for years. I grew up near The North Wall in Oxford, which regularly hosted productions that had premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe before touring the UK. Those shows captured my imagination and gave me an early appreciation for the creativity and ambition that defines Fringe theatre.
There’s a real roll-your-sleeves-up energy to it and a sense that anything is possible. It’s a place where bold ideas are given the space to flourish, where artists take risks, and where the next generation of theatre-makers can find their audience. It’s also incredibly exciting to see where many Fringe shows and their creators go next, with so many launching careers that go on to have a lasting impact on British theatre and beyond.
A moment I remember from our first run, which captures the joy of Fringe, is when I had lost one of my props in the green room but the show had already started. So there I was on my hands and knees in lingerie and thigh-high boots in the office of the Etcetera Theatre with the office manager, while he was fully dressed and we tried to recreate a “some fornicating later” sign.
What are you looking forward to the most in Edinburgh?
Dale – Being able to showcase a show that is not only very close to my heart but also just being on this wild and wonderful journey with the most amazing cast & crew, as well as taking the first timers through their first Fringe and simply enjoying Edinburgh in the summer and being inspired by so many other amazing shows and performers.
Olive – Showing this play to the world!! I really believe that Dale has created a play that can inspire the millennial, Netflix generation to get into the theatre and laugh along with these characters as they’ll see themselves, their friends and their lives mirrored in them.
What’s next for the show?
Dale – Fingers crossed we can be picked up to bring it back to London. This show was always meant as a love letter to our London and to everyone that makes it so special. To bring it home bigger and better than ever would be a dream come true.
Olive – In a dream, Soho Theatre. It’s the beating heart of Fringe theatre in London, and somewhere I have always aspired to perform in. They have always championed queer writing, and I hand on heart believe it would be the perfect next home for our protagonist Alex to move into. The show is really a love letter to millennials in London, so I hope we can transfer it home to the city. But hey, a 6-parter on the BBC also wouldn’t go amiss….