Wilder! – Etcetera Theatre, Camden (Camden Fringe)

Writers: Thomas Billiouw & Dany Van Brabant 
Director: Jillian Osborn

Reviewer: Christine Stanton

“Farcical Fringe Fun”

4 / 5

The Newport Village Garden Club is the heart of Newport’s suburban bubble, with every woman in town desperate to join. Every woman that is, except the glamourous and mysterious Gloria Wilder.

Gloria (Dany Van Brabant) lives with her husband Gregory (Thomas Billiouw) – in their lavish mansion, which is the envy of everyone else in town. Each year on their anniversary, they celebrate with an unconventional tradition, which Gregory wants to give up, much to Gloria’s dismay. Her desperation in trying to convince him to continue begins to cause fractures, affecting both their relationship, and the tightly-knit community that are always excited to uncover a scandal. Cheryl-Anne (Kgalalelo Thakadu) has been infatuated with Gregory since he moved to the area, hopeful that this could push him into her arms, Martha (Evie Weldon) is intent on being best friends with Gloria, while Phyllis (Jess Vince-Moin) is solely intent on keeping the numbers up at her beloved Garden Club.

Suburban secrets and nightmare neighbours are always a fun premise to base a show around, so combined with Van Brabant and Billiouw’s well-written absurdist humour, mixed in with the unravelling prim and proper appearances from the cast, Wilder! is farcical fun from beginning to end. The script cleverly ensures that despite the Wilder’s secret tradition being the main storyline, each character still has their own arc that commands attention and remains entertaining. Each of the storylines pull together cleverly and neatly, with a highly-energetic culmination in the finale. The comedy is showcased not just with dialogue, but also some very well-rehearsed physical performances, from the perfectly executed slow-motion run, to the blink and you’ll miss it, hilarious hair sniffing from the obsessed Cheryl-Anne.

Each of the cast are fantastic – they have obvious chemistry, and have worked well together to execute the slick comedic timings, pacing and delivery of each scene. Weldon in particular is impeccable, her contorted facial expressions, and exasperated exclamations are done with comedic excellence. Vince-Moin’s snobbish, hierarchical attitude makes for some brilliantly funny scenes, Thakadu’s longing for Gregory is hilariously done, and Billiouw and Van Brabant do a fantastic job of showcasing both the unhinged, and extremely polished sides of the Wilders.

The Stepford Wives-esque silliness and increasingly madcap storyline makes for a great watch. WIlder! has given us a enjoyably promising start to this years Camden Fringe.

Runs until 12th August, then continues to tour.
Camden Fringe runs until 30th August 2026.