Of Fire and Flame | Theatre 503

The romantasy genre has undoubtedly hooked the attention of many over recent years, booktok is aflame with no signs of dimming. Fresh from the Edinburgh Fringe, Of Fire and Flame has landed at Theatre503, written and directed by Emma Zetterberg and starring the hilarious Lily Edwards.

We watch Edwards as Annie, guiding us through her elaborate daydreams with flashes of reality as we learn of her struggles with Endometriosis. It’s hilarious, thoughtful and packs a punch. Like many others, we learn of Annie’s obsession with the romantasy genre and how she uses it as a form of escapism from the reality of her day to day life struggling with chronic pain.

The play switches between hilarious sketches exploring the depths of her imagination to thoughtful scenes presenting the issues Endometriosis holds. We see flirtatious scenes with Dragomir- the warrior of her dreams, battles in the forest against the Wraiths and an old cackling witch, everything you could hope for from the genre with plenty of gags planted for readers amongst the audience.

The scenes depicting Annie’s reality present a softer side to the narrative, how it affects her friends and loved ones and why this escapism is so key to her survival. The scene shifting is smooth but perhaps sometimes the juxtaposition from comedy to the harsh realities of living with this condition could feel a little jarring, with the language of the two worlds not always melting together as intended.

Edwards has a real talent, to hold a stage with such confidence and energy is no easy feat and she oozes both of these in abundance. Her comedic chops are obvious and the audience relished with her. She lands the more emotive scenes well but lacks a sense of being grounded at points, given the previous energizing moments. Her voice is charming and bounces off the script well, credit to Zetterberg’s writing style, electric and achingly funny.

Theatre503 can be an unforgiving space with room to fill but Zetterberg’s direction allows Edwards to bounce from scene to scene with ease, her physicality shining through. Aran Baskar’s lighting design was a great asset to the scene changes, extending from battles and forests all the way to hospital lighting. The production as a whole was a slick, clear and an entertaining piece of storytelling.

Escapism, Endometriosis and the Romantasy genre... not three things you would necessarily pit together or be all that familiar with but Of Fire and Flame merges these into a piece of theatre that leaves the audience engrossed and satisfied from much laughter.

With a strong performance at its core and thought provoking writing, this play will leave you with thoughts about the realities of Endometriosis whilst simultaneously daydreaming of fae warriors and battles in the woods. That’s range I can get on board with.

Of Fire and Flame plays at Theatre 503 until 24th September 2025.

Tickets and More Information

★★★★☆ (4*)

Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | Photography by Dan Sherington