” A chaotic mix of X-Factor dreams, funeral parlour family drama, and a giant papier-mâché mouse— flawed, aspirational, and undeniably Fringe.“
2 * *
If you don’t find yourself sitting in a hotel conference room facing 3 to 4 bedsheets hung from a rail, have you fully experienced Edinburgh in August? Enter The Deadmouse and Peabrain Dreams, a production by a trio of aspiring fringe-makers armed with undereye makeup, plastic wigs, and an enormous papier-mâché mouse head.
From what I could salvage from the plot, it follows two sisters working in the family funeral business after their mum absconds to Benidorm with a certain ‘Mateo’. They long to escape via the glittering promise of The X-Factor. Somewhere along the way, a mouse dies, possibly metaphorically. Maybe also literally. It’s unclear.
A chaotic mix of X-Factor dreams, funeral parlour family drama, and a giant papier-mâché mouse— flawed, aspirational, and undeniably Fringe.
There are bright sparks. The X-Factor satire is sharp, especially the gloriously deranged sister Shannon, who, consumed with dreams of a world-class pop star ‘Managére’ transforms funeral services into laser-show extravaganzas with admirable dedication. Their dissection of reality TV melodrama felt impressively forensic, (Can you master ‘The winner’s face, complete with a single tear?), and moments between the sisters had surprising emotional bite. A ‘singing argument’ in particular stood out as genuinely funny.
But for every glimmer, there were three baffling detours. A dozen ideas were thrown at the wall; several stuck, most didn’t. Accent roulette, overcooked caricatures and a parade of peripheral townsfolk cluttered the piece, diluting what could’ve been a focused, touching sibling story.
The actor playing dad initially felt surplus to requirements — I considered urging them to pull a Cowell and cut him loose in order to proceed to judge’s houses. But he sprang to life as the ostentatious Mateo in the final couple of scenes, just in time for… the end credits. Sadly, the show overran, and they had to cut the final two scenes. What those scenes contained, we’ll never know — possibly meaning, or at least some sense of closure.
There’s genuine talent here, buried under papier-mâché and premature ambition. With sharper editing and stronger direction, they could produce something quite brilliant. I’d far rather see this sort of experimental fringy dream than another private-school-funded modern twist on Shakespeare. Just next time, fewer wigs, a disciplined plot, and ideally, a script that fits the runtime..
The Deadmouse and Peabrain Dreams
Alright? Comedy
TheSpace On The Mile
20:45 | 1st-23rd
The Deadmouse and Peabrain Dreams **
Published on
Edinburgh Fringe 2025 
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