Review: Buggers, Fringe 2026

Set in 1963, Buggers by Alistair Hall is based on the real-life story of artist Francis Bacon and the one man he spent most of his time painting; petty criminal George Dyer. As a current art student who knew only the surface level of Bacon and Dyer’s relationship (barely), I was not prepared for how much this show would break me.

Vibe

There’s a slightly steamy, almost smoky, pub kind of vibe as we, the audience, enter the room, and take our seats. It’s an odd looking setup, as we see two men drinking in suits, their feet bare on a sort of soft play type material floor.

That, combined with the bathtub, the toilet and the glass shower cabinet-esque partitions at the two front corners of the stage, certainly piques curiosity as we begin to wonder just what we’re in for.

What happens next

Then the show begins, and we’re treated to an introductory, almost dance-like, sequence of the two men meeting; flirting turns to a sexually charged lust to the point of near aggression – but without overt lewdness, the acting so smoothly and superbly handled that it’s really quite captivating to see.

The morning after their initial encounter, it turns into really quite a sweet ice breaker moment between the two men, where eggs are discussed and we learn Francis remembers George’s (who he describes as ‘rough trade’) name – and George remembers Francis’s. George later admits he always knew who Francis was (the successful, Guggenheim-famous artist). We learn Francis was drawn to George just because he seemed ‘different’.

George stays for some eggs, and then he finds himself staying for so much more than just eggs. In fact, he becomes Francis’s muse, and his life turns into something much bigger and different than he was prepared for. It becomes “too much”. It becomes a passionate, hedonistic and  sadomasochistic relationship, ultimately leading to tragedy. The show itself is both sexually charged and violent, but also tender, poignant, and more than a little heartbreaking.

I was blown away by the strong acting between Hall as Bacon, and Peter Clements as Dyer. Some of the most standout moments of the show are when the glass partitions are used, firstly with Francis painting George and violently throwing water against the glass. Later, George paints Francis (“quite beautiful”, says Francis), making him pose against the other glass corner. There’s also the sensory overload of burning toast smell at one point.

The moment in the bathtub with ‘Frog’ and ‘Toad’ reminiscing (I think they were also reading a Frog and Toad book by Arnold Lobel – which, incidentally, got thrown across the room and landed at my feet at one point) felt very sentimental. There’s also the dramatic turn of events when George is sitting on the toilet, clearly dying from an overdose, as harsh flashing lights flood the room to signify the danger – I found this part very hard to watch.

As an art student, I knew the portraits that Francis was painting, and the exact ones George says he’s starting to look like in real life. I know them because they’re printed out and stuck in my sketchbook, as references images where I had no clue about the turmoil – and tragic backstory – behind them. I didn’t know about the suicide, the Paris hotel room Bacon would visit for years afterwards. Ouch.

Overall

I found Buggers to be an intense, poignant, powerful and unexpectedly (unless you know the story) heartbreaking watch, and for that reason, it’s getting my first five-star rating of Fringe 2026. For such a small, intimate show, the acting is impeccable and a real standout of the Fringe for me. It also caught me completely off-guard, and I’m not afraid to say I cried on the bus home. I can’t recommend this show enough, and I’ll be interested to see what Hall does next.