Who We Are Now
★★★☆☆ Great Music
theSpace @ Niddry St (Venue 9): Mon 24 – Sat 29 Aug 2026
Review by Ed Boulter-Comer
Who We Are Now from Thaddeus Buttrey at theSpace @ Niddry St for the final week of the Fringe is a naughties rock opera, complete with angst and emo eye makeup.
Buttrey’s new musical, for which he wrote both book and music, tracks Alexander Jett as Alex as he heads to the big city to follow his career as a musician and escape his demons, very literally played by Danny Rudden as Sid.
Alexander Jett (Alex) and Danny Rudden (Sid) in Who We Are Now. Pic: Amy Stinton:
The central conceit has Sid appear to mess up Alex’s life and relationships which Rudden does with Mephistophelean relish. It is a trope we have seen before in musicals and whilst Rudden delivers his numbers strongly, the plot device does remove some agency from Jett’s character.
The fact that nothing is really Alex’s fault makes him a little difficult to root for. Jett himself is the core vocal performance and he has the charisma and pipes to pull this off more than effectively.
Director Hunter King links the show together well and Laura Preston’s small-time rock diva Sandy Ravage, is hugely watchable in their numbers.
dependable
There is another plot question as to why Izzie Atkinson’s level-headed and dependable Morgan would spend two years of her life supporting a character like Alex. Atkinson is a fine singer and her wholesome take on Morgan is apt but again raises questions about the script.
This is a shame as the music is universally excellent. As well as producing, Thaddeus Buttrey wrote the book and the music for the show. Musically, there is no doubting that Buttrey is an exceptional talent.
Izzie Atkinson (Morgan). Pic: Amy Stinton.
The harmonisation in the number “Who the Hell Are You?” is just one example of the serious musicianship behind the composing, while Buttrey’s guitar-playing, as he leads the band, has moments of virtuosity.
The company have the intention to stage Who We Are Now as a full two-hour musical. If they do, and this performance can be seen as a work in progress towards that goal, then it is a very strong step in the right direction.
Who We Are Now is currently a strong concert piece. It will be interesting to see where Buttrey takes it.
Running time: One hour and 30 minutes (no interval).
theSpace @ Niddry St (Lower Theatre), Niddry St, EH1 1TH. (Venue 9).
Monday 24 – Saturday 29 August 2026.
Daily: 9.05pm.
Tickets and details: Book here at EdFringe.com.
Tickets direct from venue: Book here.
Instagram: @whowearenow.fringe
Alexander Jett (Alex) and Ensemble. Pic: Amy Stinton
ENDS
