Review: John Robertson’s The Dark Room, Fringe 2024

I first met John Robertson 12 years ago, when he was doing The Dark Room at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. And now, in 2024, it’s become an Edinburgh Fringe institution and I couldn’t imagine life without it!

Full disclosure: I know John a little. We’ve been connected on social media for a long time, and I’ve lost count of how many of his shows I’ve been to now.

I headed to The Gilded Balloon Patter House on Chambers Street to see the show, and considering how most (if not all) of these shows have been selling out, I was very pleased to get in the queue fairly early, and grab a front row seat!

The vibe

If you’re reading this without knowing what The Dark Room actually is, I should probably start by telling you it’s a live version of a ‘text-based adventure game’; the kind that were popular in the ’80s, and as John says, ‘adventure’ and ‘game’ weren’t really that relevant with what you actually got.

Think of the likes of The Oregan Trail and Pip’s Island. (Those are two I actually remember playing at primary school, because myself and John are actually the same age)

Although no show is quite the same, the vibe of The Dark Room is always energetic, chaotic, brutal comedy improv where selected members of the audience try to find their way out of The Dark Room and win £1000. If not, THEY DIE, THEY DIE, THEY DIIIIIIEEEEEE!!! And win some truly anti-climatic prizes.

The show itself

All the Darrens have assembled ready to play (or just spectate and laugh at/with the other Darrens) for The Dark Room, and we get off to the familiar (but still highly relevant and updated) intro from Mr Dark Room himself, which explains the rules and also lets us know the age groups of tonight’s Darrens.

We find out there’s one Darren in the audience who’s only 13, and this particular Darren is the MVP of all the Darrens. She gets further than the rest, manages to be funny, but ultimately dies and is later awarded the flamboyant potato.

I love how The Dark Room has evolved over the years, with new content, lighthouse level and ‘DLC’, which means we still get everything we love about The Dark Room, but it stays fresh at the same time. It never gets dull.

John has a different comedian in the role of ‘Soggy Bob’ each and every night, which is great fun, and you never know who it’s going to be. This particular Soggy Bob ran away when their Darren chose the action ‘punch Soggy Bob’), but luckily resurfaced again.

As per usual, John’s £1000 was safe during this particular show, and the ‘prizes’ this time round included baguettes (which were thrown across the room to the winners), an original Xbox game, and of course the very necessary flamboyant potato (a pineapple).

I’ve forgotten what else, because none of them were particularly memorable. It’s not really about that.

John’s stage presence means he lords it over the audience, easily dealing with any heckles in his easy, confident way – and improv is also a huge part of the comedy of this show.

But it’s also about the Darrens; the nerds and geeks who are 100% there for this cult classic that occasionally leads to crowd surfing, to make up this unforgettable show that’s laughs all the way.

Overall

If you want a comedy show that’s a bit geeky, sure to deliver AND translates across most age ranges, check out The Dark Room – if you’re lucky enough to be able to book a ticket, that is! The show is a frequent sell out and it’s easy to see why, as John Robertson is a powerhouse with contagious energy.