BAD BOY ⭐⭐⭐

“Jack is struggling, and everyone else seems to be moving on. Getting ahead. He needs a break, and when it finally comes, it’s the worst thing that could ever happen.”

Daniel Adolfsson's direction is clear and effective. The production makes good use of the space without making the staging more complicated than it needs to be. Everything has a purpose, and the transitions keep the story moving without drawing attention away from the central character. The staging has a pleasing simplicity, which suits a solo show particularly well. Nothing feels unnecessarily cluttered, and the audience always knows where to look.

The lighting and sound design are both nice and understated. The lighting doesn’t change dramatically throughout, but what is there works well for the piece. It provides a consistent environment for Jack’s story without trying to manufacture drama where the performance can provide it naturally. The soundscapes are effective, although I occasionally wanted them to be a little louder. There are moments where the atmosphere could have benefited from the sound having slightly more presence.

Overall, though, the levels are good, and the technical design supports the storytelling rather than distracting from it.

Daniel Adolfsson's writing is one of the show’s strongest elements. I particularly liked the pacing. The story moves at a good pace, and we clearly understand what information we need and when we need it. It never feels like the audience is being dragged through unnecessary exposition. The storytelling is also refreshingly clear. Where the piece could go further is in its relationships. We understand Jack’s circumstances, his frustrations and his ambitions, but I would have liked a slightly deeper exploration of the relationships around him. The more we care about the people in Jack’s life, the more devastating his conflicts with them become. There are moments where the show gets close to that emotional depth, and I wanted it to push just a little further. That said, the structure is strong, and there is a pleasing balance between the comedy and the darker material. This is a show about somebody making mistakes, but it never loses sight of the fact that a human being is making those mistakes.

Daniel Adolfsson's music and lyrics are also lovely. The songs feel integrated into the storytelling rather than being there simply because this is a musical. They give Jack a different way to express what he struggles to say outright, and some of the musical moments reveal a much more vulnerable side of the character. In fact, I found myself wishing there were one more song. The existing material is strong enough that another musical moment could have added even greater emotional depth, particularly towards the latter stages of the story. Still, what is here is beautifully performed and gives the piece a distinctive identity.

Daniel Adolfsson gives an honest performance — and one with plenty of layers.

Playing a solo show means carrying the entire world of the production, and Adolfsson makes Jack feel like a fully formed person rather than simply a collection of plot points.

There is humour in him, but also frustration, insecurity, ambition and self-loathing. The performance allows those different sides to emerge gradually, which makes the more vulnerable moments feel earned. The multi-rolling is also handled with confidence, with Adolfsson shifting between characters without allowing the central story to become muddled. Most importantly, the performance has an honesty to it. Jack isn’t particularly easy to like all the time, but Adolfsson doesn’t ask us to excuse him either. He allows us to understand him. And sometimes understanding somebody is considerably more interesting than liking them.

Overall, there is something rather appealing about BAD BOY. It is a darkly funny, intimate solo musical about a man desperately trying to convince himself that everything is going to be fine while, quite spectacularly, it is not. Jack is a struggling musician chasing a dream, trying to impress an ex and making a frankly impressive number of questionable decisions along the way. As he moves between dates, friends, gigs and the various people orbiting his life, the comedy gradually gives way to something considerably more vulnerable. It is funny, tender and occasionally uncomfortable — which is exactly what it wants to be. And perhaps a reminder that sometimes the biggest thing standing between us and the dream isn’t the world around us. It is us.

BAD BOY runs at Underbelly Cowgate, Belly Laugh, at 13:00, from 5–30 August 2026 (not 17 August). The show runs for 60 minutes and is presented by Nerve Creations.

🎟️ Book tickets for BAD BOY at Edinburgh Fringe