ED FRINGE 2025 REVIEW: CADEL

Cadel: Lungs on Legs is a blistering, breathless sprint through the mess and mania of modern masculinity, and one of the most urgent solo shows at this year’s Fringe. Performed with unrelenting energy and precision from Connor Delves, this is theatre that grabs you by the collar and doesn’t let go.

The piece follows Cadel, a young man teetering on the edge – physically, emotionally, and morally. Through a stream-of-consciousness monologue that veers from darkly comic to deeply poignant, we’re taken inside a restless mind in freefall. The writing is muscular and lyrical, packed with visceral imagery and razor-sharp turns of phrase. It’s a script that demands stamina, and the performer delivers in spades – sweating, spitting, sprinting through the piece with magnetic intensity.

Direction is stripped-back and smart, allowing the physicality of the performance to speak volumes. The use of space is inventive, and the sound design pulses in sync with Cadel’s racing thoughts, heightening the show’s claustrophobic urgency.

At its heart, Cadel: Lungs on Legs is about a man trying to outrun himself – and failing. It’s bold, bruising, and brilliantly performed. A vital piece of new writing that demands to be seen – and felt.