A new play by Fringe First winner Tom Brennan has opened at the Pleasance Dome during the first days of the 2026 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and it is already turning heads.

WhatsOnStage published its review of Overtone on 7 August 2026, describing the two-hander as "intimate" and "gripping" — a play that builds to a shocking conclusion and lands as a devastating, deeply reflective piece of theatre. The same outlet had flagged the production in its day-one picks for the festival, naming it among three shows to catch as the Fringe got under way.

Overtone is a non-linear play for two performers. It follows a couple grappling with the aftermath of a coercive, abusive relationship with their former choir master, a man named Alan. The story moves across two parallel timelines: the couple's teenage years singing in a choir, and their middle-aged present. The Pleasance's own event page frames the show as "an intimate, funny and unflinching new play about love getting older," while the Fringe programme listing echoes that description.

Brennan is a member of the Bristol-based Wardrobe Ensemble and a previous winner of a Fringe First — the award given by The Scotsman during the Fringe to recognise outstanding new writing. Overtone is produced by the North Wall, an Oxford arts venue and development centre, and directed by John Hoggarth. Hoggarth returns to the Pleasance Dome after directing Brown Boys Swimming in the same space.

For audiences navigating the Fringe's vast programme — over 3,000 shows across the city each August — a production singled out in early coverage carries a practical advantage. Press attention in the first 48 hours can shift ticket sales, particularly in venues like the Pleasance Dome where multiple shows share the building and compete for walk-up audiences. Overtone sits in that window now, with a review from a major theatre publication already in circulation.

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe runs throughout August. Overtone plays at Pleasance Dome, with listings available through the official Fringe website and the Pleasance's own site.