” a captivating blend of humour, heartbreak, and self-discovery. beautifully funny and sometimes tragic, We all know and love a Lolo in our lives”
3 1/2****
Lauren O’Brien’s one-woman performance, Lolo’s Boyfriend Show, lands at Surgeon’s Hall with a captivating blend of humour, heartbreak, and self-discovery. It takes about ten minutes to settle into her signature Betty-Boop–style affect, but once you do, the story unfolds into a beautifully funny and sometimes tragic journey. Anyone who’s been through a string of relationships will find something deeply relatable in Lolo’s evolution—from wide-eyed naivety to hard-won wisdom—told with an intimacy that lays bare O’Brien’s own vulnerability.
O’Brien breathes life into Lolo through seamless wardrobe changes, vividly caricatured voices, and theatrical devices that draw you into her world—a girl simply trying to “focus entirely on her acting career.” We trace her origins, from a kindergarten crush to the fraught teenage transformation into a “pretty girl,” a short but resonant history of insecurity that haunts her into adulthood.
Her romantic life plays out through a revolving cast of archetypes—the Strong Boyfriend, the Tragic One, the Spiritual One—each embodying facets of modern masculinity. “This time it will be different” hits with a weighty blend of hope and inevitability as Lolo plunges headfirst into yet another fraught affair. The brilliance of the show lies in its shifting tone: scenes that start hilariously relatable often slide into something painfully familiar.
Sex scenes avoid cheap or lurid laughs, instead unfolding through Lolo’s eyes, grounding the experience emotionally. “Well, you can’t get off the canoe once you start rowing!” she chirps mid-way through an uncomfortable encounter, capturing the murky uncertainty of consent with painful honesty.
This show is a thinker. How different is the relationship between an actor and her spectators, and a girl craving validation from men? Both involve delicate power dynamics, boiling down to the question: how far will you change yourself to gain approval? Lolo accepts definitions from all sides, whether a psychic in Queens or a misplaced compliment from a man—“I know what you are, Lolo…”
O’Brien’s raw acting skill, tragically funny writing, and sickeningly relatable scenarios combine into a many-layered, heartfelt piece. We all know and love a Lolo in our lives, perhaps we are Lolo. There’s a real sense of triumph by the end, though I wished the finale had tied everything up in a tighter bow with a more powerful pay-off. Still, Lolo’s Boyfriend Show is a memorable, highly recommended journey of self and survival.
Lolo’s Boyfriend Show
TheSpace @ Surgeon’s Hall
20:30 | 1st-16th
Lolo’s Boyfriend Show ***1/2
Published on
Edinburgh Fringe 2025 
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