Saving Britney at Underbelly George Square Bluebell Review
Bouncy. Glittering. Moving. Saving Britney, co-written by Shereen Roushbaiani and David Shopland, follows the cosmic connection between millennial Jean and the pop princess herself, Britney Spears, as Jean’s self-discovery and turbulent family life play out adjacent to Spears’ music career and the #FreeBritney movement. Saving Britney is presented by Fake Escape as part of their Decade of Fringe season this year, performing at Underbelly George Square Bluebell.
This production is a colourful, millennial, teenage dream. The set is made up of Britney’s iconic outfits hanging on a clothes rail, a huge collage and timeline of her career, complete with staple bags, accessories and a pink CD player. You can immediately understand the bubbly energy of this show before Roushbaiani steps on stage. Saving Britney was one of the most interactive productions I got to see this Fringe as Roushbaiani, with direction by David Shopland, had moments of passing audience members props, inviting one person to dance on stage and even provided keepsakes and photo opportunities for the audience at the end. We were entirely invited into the space and story, which created a genuine connection between Roushbaiani and the audience, and offered a night out at the theatre you don’t want to miss!
Roushbaiani perfectly embodies a teenage girl as she skips around the space, climbs on set and appears in between clothes on the rail. She confidently owns the space and brings the audience into her world as she speaks directly to us, inviting us to laugh and feel along with her. The play maintains a fast pace as it spans around 20 years of Jean and Britney’s lives and Roushbaiani keeps a high level of energy to keep the audience engaged in the ever-evolving story. The script offers great emotional depth for Jean as it ranges from her youthful excitement for Britney’s first album, to her mother being diagnosed with cancer, and even to the frustration of being considered a fragile millennial by the generations above in today’s society. These shifts were handled well by Roushbaiani’s strong performance and Shopland’s sensitive direction to create a piece of theatre that lingers on each moment for just the right amount of time.
Initially, I was concerned that Britney Spears doesn’t have as much pop cultural relevance as she once did and maybe this production was more fitting during its successful run in 2022. However, this is a time capsule of a show and using Britney’s timeline as an anchor to connect to key moments in Jean’s life, brings both Jean and Britney’s existence to life on stage. Britney represents a woman who was looked up to by so many young girls and was incredibly worn down by the media and society. She remains a public persona that many can relate to in their own way and movements such as #FreeBritney continue to prove how communities can band together for people they care about, which is a timeless story and a feeling that should never be lost.
Saving Britney is running at Edinburgh Fringe at 18:15pm in Underbelly George Square Bluebell from the 5th – 30th August as part of Fake Escape Theatre Company’s 10th Anniversary Season.
★★★★
Written by George for Theatre and Tonic, August 2026.
