In Her Hand
★★★★★ Formidable Women
theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall (Venue 53): Mon 24 – Sat 29 Aug 2026
Review by Ed Boulter-Comer
Boutique theatre does not get much better than In Her Hand, at theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall, based on real life journals from women working in the Scottish-run hospitals in the Balkans in WW1.
This sharply written, flawlessly performed two-hander, co-produced by Surgeons’ Hall and Genesis Theatre Productions is over too soon. Jordanna O’Neill and Christopher Silver’s sensitive and witty script shines. O’Neill directs the work bringing both the horror and levity of war to life vividly. It is an exceptional feat.
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In Her Hand: Joyce Falconer and Claire Yuille Pic: Greg Macvean.[/caption]
This is a piece of contrasts. Differences in class, the fleshy brutally of war adjacent to the pastoral idyll of the countryside. Female friendship and humour against world events dictated by men miles away.
Claire Yuille’s Edith, an Edinburgh medic, opens the play, imagining herself addressing the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Yuille sells the lofty ideals and beauty of the language with huge skill. She is as magnetic to watch as she is convincing. In a Fringe full of gimmicks, it is good to be reminded what a genuinely great actor can do. Even if she is standing on an upturned bucket.
Joyce Falconer’s orderly Frances arrives and points out the bucket. Whilst Falconer introduces the humour, her Frances is no buffoon and the subtly of her disapproval is every bit as important as her earthy, bed pan jokes. Falconer’s monologues when she is journaling are evocative and rich. Her delivery gives a sense of scale to the war beyond and is contemplative, whilst never falling over into the maudlin. Her use of pause is beautifully judged and not just when being used for comic purposes.
standout moment
Yuille herself delivers a genuinely chilling monologue, as she describes the process of an amputation she has performed. The clinical language, poised, minimal mime and sense of reliving the process gives the impression that Edith is looking for reassurance. In terms of both acting and direction, it is a standout moment in a play that has excellence woven into every element.
Composer/Sound Designer John Kielty and Lighting Designer Laura Hawkins work sympathetically to give a cohesive sense of place and a crisp professionalism to the production. Genesis Theatre Productions are investing in the future of the profession as well. Assistant Director Kate Stamoulis https://aet.dwrinter.net/tag/kate-stamoulis/ has their own excellent work on elsewhere this Fringe.
In Her Hands is a much bigger piece than it sounds. It should be a two-hander about a couple of women at the fringes of a historic war. It ends up being a universal endorsement of the human spirit and the capacity to endure. It is also a ringing validation of the excellence of current Scottish theatre making
Running time: 50 minutes (no interval).
theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall (Haldane Theatre), Surgeons Quarter, Nicolson Street EH8 9DW, (Venue 53)
Monday 24 – Saturday 29 August 2026.
Daily: 3.05pm.
Tickets and details: Book here at EdFringe.com.
Tickets direct from venue: Book here.
Genesis Theatre Productions Instagram: @genesistheatreproductions
Surgeons’ Hall website: museum.rcsed.ac.uk
Facebook: @surgeonshallmuseum
Instagram: @surgeonshall
YouTube @surgeonshallmuseum
TikTok: @surgeonshall
Linktree: @surgeonshall.
In Her Hand: Joyce Falconer and Claire Yuille Pic: Greg Macvean.
ENDS
