Review: Day of the Locust (Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh)

Review by Seth Wilby

⭐⭐⭐⭐

With over 4,000 shows in Edinburgh this August, you can find a vast multitude of plays, catering to all interests and any topic, however niche. And that’s clear in a tiny room above Pleasance Courtyard where, over lunchtime, you can find an adaptation of Nathanael West’s 1939 American novel The Day of the Locust, which has become somewhat of a cult classic since its largely overlooked publication. Told by one man, a guitar and a loop pedal, could this play create real buzz, or would it be a total locust-astrophe?

The Day of the Locust follows painter Tod Hackett’s move to Hollywood, where, through his encounters with unrequited love and violent riots, the hollowness of the American Dream is exposed. Think Cabaret in Hollywood. Thankfully, however, a familiarity with the source material is not a pre-requisite for this production, although I’m sure those who are would take something totally different away from this play, which seamlessly recreates the feel of the novel in a noirish, atmospheric, timeless monologue.

It’s a fascinating concept for a show, with the novel a perfect fit for this grimy, blistering adaptation, and the script by David Shopland and Callum Patrick Hughes executes this potential flawlessly. Reframed as a first-person narration, from the perspective of Tod Hackett, we’re provided with personal, emotional insights, as the script paints a very clear portrait of the contrast between the opulent ideals of Hollywood and the gritty, aggressive, desperate truth. At times, it did feel too slow to fully engage, perhaps limited by the pace of the novel itself, but it’s clear that the slower, drier script is a deliberate choice to truly build this uncomfortably gritty atmosphere and let the revelations slowly sink in, which they do nobly well.

To discuss the locusts in the room, everyone knew that there was a reason that company Fake Escape chose to adapt this particular novel in 2026. There’s an unfortunate resonance to many of the themes, and this simple and sophisticated production shines (in ways subtle and less so) as a commentary on them. In his closing address to the audience, our performer notes that the only changes from West’s original novel have been the incorporation of mobile phones and ICE agents. When we hear these mentioned in the play, we know they’re additions, so the revelation that they are the only ones is genuinely troubling proof of the parallels. Although the impact could’ve been greater if these statements were incorporated into the end of the play itself, they provide a searing relevance, and prove the production’s significance as part of a wider commentary on how the American Dream holds up in the 21st Century.

Performed by Callum Patrick Hughes, we are provided with a highly captivating hour. Hughes has a brilliantly likeable presence, and it’s very interesting to watch him haul us through the difficult narrative, with his highly watchable, shifting portrayal. Lending an admirable amount of emotion and depth to all his characterisations, it is Tod Hackett who we get most invested in, and whom Hughes generates sympathy and understanding for, wrinkling his face with pain. 

Hughes also lends his skills to some delectable live music in the show (composed by Hughes and Josh Benfield), playing a haunting guitar tune as we enter that feels symbolic of the troubling desert land we’re about to enter.  This tune recurs throughout, with awesome use of a loop pedal that Hughes handles like a bona fide professional, throughout this production, co-directed by Shopland and Roann Hassani McCloskey, which embodies something both interesting and atmospheric. A stand microphone is well utilised to display actual spoken word, and the set dressing is some of the best you could get in a small space, all of which contributes to a story of accomplished atmospheric clarity.

While it does feel somewhat impersonal for a show in such a small space (the direction could use the 50-seater space more to its advantage by creating an intimate community-feel to prevent the detachment of the viewer), Day of the Locust is a fascinating fringe experiment, which, through live music and Hughes’ highly watchable performance, masterfully builds a scorching, noirish atmosphere to prove the novel’s undeniable continued commentary on modern America.

Day of the Locust plays at Pleasance Courtyard (Attic) at 12:50 until 31st August. Tickets from https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/day-of-the-locust