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Fringe theatre in London

Find a hidden treasure with our guide to London's fringe theatre

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The fringe is the lifeblood of London's theatre scene, a world of tiny, unsubsidised theatres that offers everything from revivals of rare musicals to the West End hits of tomorrow. Here’s Time Out’s guide, including fringe reviews, fringe listings and links to London’s key fringe theatres.

Central London fringe theatre

Alice's Adventures Underground
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • Theatre
  • Immersive
  • Waterloo

This review is from 2017; ‘Alice’s Adventures Underground’ is due to return to brand new venue Labyrinth, but had been postponed indefinitely due to delays in the construction. ‘We’re all mad here’, says a grinning purple Cheshire cat. He’s not wrong. I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole and it is absolutely bonkers. Well, technically I’m in the Vaults in Waterloo, but it feels like another world. After a sell-out run in 2015, Les Enfants Terribles and ebp’s ‘Alice’s Adventures Underground’ has returned to the Vaults for more immersive adventures. We’re ushered into a room filled with dusty books, grand chandeliers, an old piano, and a looking glass, of course. A blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman appears behind the looking glass. She is Alice, presumably, but she can’t remember her name. ‘Who am I?’ she asks, before disappearing. But that’s the last we see of her for a while, because this is not Alice’s adventure – it’s ours. Like a group of excited schoolchildren, we move through a tunnel lined with yellowing book pages and our adventure begins. You decide whether to ‘eat me’ or ‘drink me’ to determine which path you’ll take (there are 24 adventures happening at the same time, making it almost impossible to see the same show twice). You’re given a playing card and split into ‘suits’. Each group is led by a performer throughout, which means there’s an actual narrative (albeit a totally mad one), so you’re not left wandering aimlessly. It’s not just the experience that’s impressive

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