Today, in the ongoing battle between man and food… both won!

Strange opening for a comedy theatre review, but we’re back at Brighton Fringe and, as regular readers know, we like to cover the full experience – and for that, we must start at Halisco.

This low-key restaurant was brought to our attention by Adam Richman of Man vs. Food fame, who raved about this spot’s Mexican-inspired delights – so much so that we booked a table that very day!

And I am thrilled to report that it far surpassed expectations. The food is incredible and the drinks are a thing of wonder – the mango & chilli margarita and the coconut margarita will live long in the memory.

Fully fuelled and incredibly happy, we realised that our next show was taking place on the other side of town. And once again we found ourselves sprinting through the city due to our poor planning.

We reached The Lantern with just enough time to grab drinks (it’s a show called FRAT, we had to have a drink) and admire the classic movie posters before taking our seats for the performance.

Welcome to Beta Chi Omega: where loyalty is sacred, accountability is optional, and – oh yeah – someone might have raped the hot girl with a boyfriend from the girls’ dorm across the way… Drinks?

Max Allen’s debut play tosses us into a sweaty frat house with four bros and one massive moral mess. It’s tense, talky, and not interested in giving easy answers – which is exactly what makes it linger.

Described as darkly comedic, its humour is subtle but skewers the ridiculous hypocrisy of US Ivy League life with precision. The cast do an excellent job of world-building from a single-room set, and each member stands out in his own right – with the actor playing Charles getting a hand for being the spit of a young Keanu.

This is an excellent debut from Allen, who also portrays Alex in the play, and we hope he gets the recognition he deserves when FRAT hits the Edinburgh Fringe later this year.

Not so much a whodunnit as a doesanyonecareifhedunnit – but thoroughly entertaining, and we’re glad we caught it.

Clown Stars: * * * *

@Lantern – ACT, Brighton

If you like the sound of this show you can catch FRAT at The Space UK during this years Edinburgh Fringe