EDINBURGH FRINGE REVIEW: The Prophetic Visions of Bethany Lewis at the Underbelly Cowgate

There’s a fair amount of puppets at Edinburgh Festival Fringe this year and a lot of it has been very good. It was now the turn for The Prophetic Visions of Bethany Lewis, and my oh my it did not disappoint. From the moment the furry purple puppet opened her mouth (or had it opened for her) to the last note of the perfectly pitched (in all terms of the word) ending song, I was crying with laughter. 

Three brilliant puppeteers take on a variety of characters that feature in the rise, and subsequent fall of Bethany Lewis, a normal girl who starts seeing visions when she’s bumped in the head by an escaping baked bean tin. Unfortunately for Bethany, she starts seeing things that the government, and their leader, don’t want the public knowing. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who is going to see it (and if you aren’t, you should) so I’ll keep quiet, but a specific scene between the Prime Minister and the creature that is running parliament is worth the ticket price alone. 

This was Avenue Q with a twist. A dark, satiric, genius twist. Every single character was a delight and the performances given were faultless. Favourite moments include a talking, smearing poo sent to scare Bethany, and a fan who only speaks in mumbles. The Prophetic Visions of Bethany Lewis is silly, hilarious and quite possibly my favourite show at the Fringe. 

Review by Georgia Rix 

Rating: ★★★★★