Fringe Review

“thorns” takes on some difficult topics, exploring addiction, mental health, and complicated family relationships, and the lasting effects they can have across generations. It’s not an easy story to tell, but it approaches those themes with honesty and compassion. At no point did it feel like the show was trying to shock the audience. Instead, it trusted the story and the characters to carry the emotional weight.

I found myself invested in these characters and wanting to know where their journeys would lead. That’s no small accomplishment in a one-hour Fringe production, especially for a story covering so much emotional ground.

That said, there were a few moments where I felt the pacing worked against the story. Some of the dialogue was a little more wordy than it needed to be, while other important moments passed so quickly that they were easy to miss. I also found myself wishing for a little more breathing room between some of the bigger emotional beats so they had time to settle.

There were also a few performance choices that didn’t feel tonally consistent with the rest of the production. Even so, they never overshadowed what the production was trying to accomplish. At its heart, this is a thoughtful piece that handles difficult subject matter with care, and I appreciated that it never relied on sensationalism to make its point.

I left the theatre wanting more time with these characters. For a Fringe production limited to an hour, I think that’s one of the best compliments I can give. I also found myself wondering where this story could go beyond the Fringe format. The themes and relationships feel rich enough to support a full-length production with even more room to explore them. I appreciate theatre that makes me think, feel, and reflect, and this production accomplished all three.