Review: A Foot is Not an Appropriate Prize for the Tombola (Edinburgh Fringe)
- Immersive Rumours
- 16 hours ago
- 2 min read
Daniel McVey's comedic interactive whodunit casts the audience as prime suspects at a village fete gone wrong.
Photo: Miranda Spencer Pearson
For local gossip Lydia - the protagonist of Dan McVey's A Foot is Not an Appropriate Prize for the Tombola - the discovery of a severed foot at the village fete is one of the most exciting things to ever happen in Greenwold. As a habitual nosy neighbour, she takes it upon herself to lead the investigation and, as is her civic duty as a parish councillor, question numerous residents on their recent whereabouts.
It just so happens that those residents are all audience members, who volunteer to take on the roles and are then repeatedly summoned on stage to read from laminated scripts at Lydia's behest every time a new piece of evidence is uncovered and her suspicions shift.
Those portraying eccentric local scientist Dr Sage, mathematics teacher Ms Lemon, heir to a 'toe-truck' empire Little Master Tommy Navy Blue and the mysterious Lavender Cook all get to share the stage with McVey's Lydia throughout the show, The most coveted role however, surely goes to whichever audience member takes on the role of PC Peach, a two-foot-tall puppet who's more interested in finally getting a spin at the tombola than solving crimes.
There are real prizes to be won every time the on-stage tombola is spun too - with audience members during our performance walking away with everything from a doggy dental chew toy to a pack of Haribo and a copy of Calendar Girls on DVD. Due to the local church's stance on gambling, it’s a ‘win a prize every time’ kind of tombola, much to Lydia’s annoyance.
Photo: Graeme Braidwood
Over the course of an hour, the focus of McVey's consistently comical script slowly shifts beyond the cosy confines of Greenwold and its residents to examine the ideas of power, authority and the motivations driving those who hold it through the lens of H.P. Lovecraft-like cosmic horror.
It's not until the show reaches its final fifteen minutes that - like in any good murder mystery - the true nature of the story finally becomes clear, leading you to reconsider everything that came before it.
Wonderfully written, brilliantly funny and with enough twists and turns to keep you on your toes throughout, this interactive murder mystery has all the makings of a future Fringe favourite. Our only complaint? We didn't get a go on the tombola...
★★★★
A Foot is Not an Appropriate Prize for the Tombola runs at Attic at Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33) until 31st August 2026 at 15:20. For more information and to book tickets, visit edfringe.com
