Review: The Extraordinary Life Of A Rat Racer

📍 Baron's Court Theatre

🗓️ 30th June 2026

🎟️ PR Invite

Written by Chiara Fumanti, The Extraordinary Life Of A Rat Racer is a gripping 50-minute play following Eva, a teacher and single mother whose traumatic past threatens to derail her every move. On her way to a job interview, she tries to make it back in time to take her son to football while dealing with a mother who just won’t stop calling. But despite everything going on around her, her biggest battle is with her own mind. 

The voice in her head is Arthur. Loud, eccentric, relentless and impossible to ignore, he's always there to make Eva question herself and convince her that the worst possible outcome is about to happen. But can Eva finally take back control?

The set is filled with balloons, each covered in names, faces or messages. Early on, Arthur explains how, just like a balloon, pressure keeps building until eventually something has to give. It’s such a clever way of showing the pressures people go through in everyday life, and it’s used brilliantly throughout the show. 

Arthur bangs balloons over Eva’s head whenever her mother calls, pops them without warning and transforms them into different characters that bring the scenarios racing through Eva’s mind to life. It's simple, creative and really effective.

As the play goes on, we learn more about the events that have shaped Eva’s life and left her struggling with her mental health.  

These flashbacks are woven into the story really well, with the lighting helping separate them from the present. The stage drops into darkness, leaving only a flashlight focused on Eva, making it impossible to look anywhere else. 

However, these moments of calm are brief before Arthur cuts her off again, never allowing her the chance to fully process everything she's reliving.

The lighting is used really effectively throughout. Sudden blackouts keep you on edge, while bursts of red reflect the frustration and chaos inside Eva’s mind. It also works really well alongside Arthur’s larger-than-life personality, helping blur the line between reality and what is happening inside Eva’s head. 

What I really loved about this play is how cleverly it portrays overthinking and catastrophising. It does a brilliant job of showing how easily those thoughts can spiral out of control and how a traumatic experience can continue to affect someone long after the event itself. It's such a unique concept, and it’s executed so well.

Andrea Guerini brings so much energy to Arthur. He’s funny, loud, irritating and relentless. He's constantly talking over Eva, picking apart every decision she makes and refusing to give her a moment's peace. It’s a really entertaining performance, but also one that perfectly captures how exhausting living with those thoughts can be. 

Chiara Fumanti is fantastic as Eva. From the very beginning, you can see a single mother trying to hold everything together while quietly carrying the weight of everything she’s been through. Through her movement, facial expressions and the quieter moments, you really feel the pain she's living with—you completely believe every part of her story. 

Overall, The Extraordinary Life Of A Rat Racer is a unique and cleverly written piece of theatre. It tackles a really difficult subject in such a creative way, balancing the heavier moments with plenty of humour throughout. The 50 minutes absolutely flew by, and although there were one or two moments during Eva’s flashbacks that I found ever so slightly harder to follow, they were few and far between. 

If you're heading to this year's Edinburgh Fringe, I'd definitely recommend checking out The Extraordinary Life Of A Rat Racer. It's fast-paced, thought-provoking and balances its heavier themes with plenty of humour throughout.

Content note: Balloons are popped several times throughout the performance without warning, so do bear that in mind if sudden loud noises may affect you. The show also contains themes of trauma and references to suicide, which some audience members may find distressing.

The show runs from 7–22 August at the Edinburgh Fringe, playing at two venues depending on the performance date: Studio at theSpace @ Niddry Street and Space 2 at theSpace on the Mile.