Photo credit: Eleonora Briscoe
Post by @federicabalbi
Seen at Edinburgh Festival Fringe on the 15th of August 2026
5 stars – mime at its best
Two mimes, seven acts, endless creativity. With expressivity, imagination, and acumen, they guide the audience on a journey from laughter to sighs (or tears, for many of us) and to laughter again.
Each act is a sweet, relatable episode of everyday life, defeating predictable plots. Asking a shop assistant for shoes of another size, fighting a cockroach or remembering a romantic past; each almost casually turn into a graceful story. Although, through mime, these simple stories are experienced differently. I found myself feeling such intense emotions, my body filling the scene I was seeing with the complexity that the mimes were only hinting at.
The technique of the performers Tia Cassmira and David Jenkins is impeccable, and the scenes are built on utterly original movement ideas. While the mimes are mute, the audience is encouraged to make noise, and this noise is the equivalent of the emotions that fill the room. The simplicity of the empty stage, combined with amazing technique, make us experience real magic, where the audience becomes a whole, and it feels as a whole.
Double Take, produced by Broken Box Mime Theatre and Dutch Kills Theatre, has a rotating cast. The other couples of actors are Julia Cavagna and Tasha Milkman, and Blake Habermann and Ismael Castillo.
5th – 30th August (not 18th); 1.25 pm
Running time: 60 minutes
Venue: Underbelly Bristo Square
Tickets and Info: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/double-take
Company Website: https://dutchkillstheater.com/new-page-37
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brokenboxmime/
Butterwort 
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