Edinburgh Fringe 2026 7–15 August
Very clever. Very silly. Very Edinburgh.
In August 2026, I joined the Golden Beryl cast at Edinburgh’s Pianodrome for an hour of surreal stories, strange characters, live music and sound effects. Here’s a look back at the show and what people made of it.
From podcast to stage
Special Oblivion brought together stories from the Golden Beryl podcast: kings, obsessives, unreliable narrators and other strange characters in a series of dark, absurd tales.
We performed with live music and Foley: sound effects created on stage. The Pianodrome was a lovely setting for it, an amphitheatre built from rescued pianos inside the former church at St Oswald’s Centre.
The press verdicts
“Thoroughly comfortable in its weirdness.”
All Edinburgh Theatre praised the show’s obsessive characters, unsettling atmosphere, live Foley and the way the company inhabited the Pianodrome. The review awarded four stars and summed up the hour as ludicrous in the best possible sense.
Ed Boulter-Comer, All Edinburgh Theatre
“Avant-garde and unpredictable.”
The Edinburgh Reporter described a show that was deliberately difficult to pin down, with the anarchic energy of improv inside tightly scripted work. The review praised its sophisticated sound and music, excellent voice and accent work, and imaginative use of the Pianodrome.
Charlie Ellis, The Edinburgh Reporter
Seven audience reviews
Audience reviews picked out the surreal humour, live sound effects and the Pianodrome itself. Here are some of their comments.
A Basu called it one of their Fringe favourites: a beautifully presented live radio play with exactly the right late-night weirdness.
TS Edinburgh loved the combination of an off-the-wall show and the Pianodrome’s remarkable setting.
Bonnie Hunter heard echoes of Blue Jam and The Velvet Underground’s The Gift, then singled out the vocal performers, Foley artists and off-stage crew.
Connie’s response distilled the show into imaginative, absurd and irreverent mischief.
Clive Kempe felt the Pianodrome was almost bespoke for the production, with noises arriving from every direction and live effects that were a joy to watch.
Sim Coote laughed a lot, enjoyed the unusual venue and left with a warmth that lasted beyond the performance.
Gwen celebrated the gloriously scrappy ensemble, live sound effects and piano, and the infectious feeling of performers having a wonderful time.
Read the original audience reviews on the Fringe listing, or Gwen’s response on Reddit.
The company
Our cast played a range of characters across the stories, with music and sound effects performed live.
Written and created by Matthew Oakley.
Live sound effects by Devon Peterson.
Golden Beryl: Special Oblivion
Pianodrome at St Oswald’s Centre, Venue 344
Edinburgh Festival Fringe · 7–15 August 2026
Edinburgh Fringe 2026
If you enjoyed the show, or would like to hear the stories that inspired it, try the Golden Beryl podcast.