Ordinary Decent Criminal takes the audience on a fast-paced journey set just after the Strangeways Prison Riot. Our narrator is the likeable rogue and recovering addict Frankie played by Mark Thomas.

Frankie has his demons and addiction to overcome while at the same time trying to establish where he fits into the prison’s hierarchy. Nobody inside is what they appear to be and he has to learn to think on his feet to stay out of trouble where possible.

All the characters are brought to life by Thomas, through the eyes of Frankie’s impression of them and the interactions he has with them. We learn later in the play that some of them have darker sides beyond the crimes they were committed for and should be avoided at all costs.

Thomas’s performance is gripping and keeps the audience engaged in the story about Frankie from the first sentence. However, as a veteran stand-up and activist, it’s not surprising that Thomas knows how to keep an audience captivated.

Director Charlotte Bennett uses stacked barriers and a few fairy lights on the stage. Thomas uses the barriers to mark out where Frankie is located. When in prison the barriers for a pen to show he is contained. Simple yet effective which Fringe Theatre relies on with quick turnarounds between shows and doesn’t give directors much scope for elaborate staging.

Ordinary Decent Criminal is going on tour after the Edinburgh Fringe. If it comes to a Theatre near you, it’s one of the must-see plays to leave the Edinburgh Fringe in 2025.

For more information about Ordinary Decent Criminal please use the link below.

Five Stars.

https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/ordinary-decent-criminal

https://festival.summerhallarts.co.uk/events/ordinary-decent-criminal/

https://painesplough.com/productions/ordinary-decent-criminal/

https://theatreroyal.com/whats-on/ordinary-decent-criminal/

Ordinary Decent Criminal is a new play from the writer of Fringe First-winning England & Son and A Political History of Smack & Crack, Ed Edwards and Mark Thomas tell a tale of freedom, revolution and messy love.