Old Bridge

Really great play, one of the best things we've seen, thank you

Old Bridge is one of the best plays I've seen at the Fringe. The performances were grounded, nuanced and layered, and all the performers had incredible chemistry together.

The story was expertly structured and paced as well- while many other shows I've seen at the festival slow down and somewhat lose the audience towards the two thirds mark, Old Bridge's story just kept on escalating towards a very gripping climax.

The sound design here is a clear highlight too- it really created this feeling that there was an actual war unfurling backstage. Moreover, the soundtrack was impeccably utilized- it not only set the story at a specific period in time but also helped illustrate how the characters use popular music to drown out the chaos of the outside world.

I feel very lucky to have seen Old Bridge it on the last of its run. It's truly unmissable.

A moving play that reminds us how fragile societies can be. The actors were convincing but were let down by the poor acoustics in the hall and the unnecessarily loud "backround" noise of war (explosions and bullets flying) that drowned out some important pieces of dialogue.

I've watched it a couple of days ago and I still think about it. Beautifully written and delivered. I can't put it in words, but it's a must see in my opinion.

This was word of mouth recommended and I am so glad. Beautifully handled story of love between friends at a time of war and what war does to people.
Set in a different conflict, it's a timely reminder to us of the wars in Syria and Ukraine.
I laughed at the chat and jokes of the friends, but had to rub away tears as I left.
Powerful, very well acted and much more than the sum of its parts.

Not so much a Romeo & Juliet story as a tale of four young people who have largely overcome their differences of background and become fast friends, until the 1990s Bosnian war tears their lives apart. Sensitively narrated by the older self of one of the foursome and convincingly performed all round, with a sparse set that shows just enough to let you imagine the rest. The climax, while not unexpected, is beautifully wrought and devastatingly sad. The few recurring metaphors (the bridge of the title, unifying symbol of a divided community, and the tradition of jumping from it into the river below, potentially lethal unless you understand the winds from the surrounding mountains) are multi-faceted and hauntingly poetic. Destroyed lives can't be rebuilt, but post-war, among the wreckage, there is resilience.
Epic in scale - as much is packed into one hour as in many a full-length play, yet it doesn't feel rushed.