The Sundaes(Keris Lea, Anna MacLeod Franklin and Kimberley Ensor)
Some Fringe encounters are carefully scheduled weeks in advance; others arrive in a burst of sequins and charisma. At theSpace’s Meet the Press event, I met The Sundaes — the gloriously larger‑than‑life comedy harmony trio returning to the Fringe after an eight‑year absence with their new show, *Diva Las Vegas*. Even offstage, they radiate the kind of energy that makes you turn your head before you even realise you’re smiling.
Finalists on BBC One’s *All Together Now*, The Sundaes have built a reputation for powerhouse vocals, sharp comic timing and a celebratory performance style that blends cabaret, pop, musical theatre and unapologetic glamour. *Diva Las Vegas* draws inspiration from the icons who shaped the city’s legendary stages — Shania Twain, Tina Turner, Céline Dion, Diana Ross — artists known for big voices, big emotions and even bigger showmanship. The Sundaes take that lineage and twist it into something distinctly their own: mash‑ups, choreography, comedy, and arrangements that let all three performers shine.
What stands out immediately is how joyfully they inhabit their aesthetic. Their publicity material promises sequins, sparkle and spectacle, but in person they offer something more meaningful: a celebration of bodies, confidence and presence. The Sundaes have long been embraced as a body‑positive act — not because they make it a slogan, but because they embody it. Their performance style rejects the idea that glamour belongs only to certain shapes or sizes; instead, they reclaim diva culture as a space where everyone can be loud, visible and magnificent. It’s refreshing, funny and quietly radical.
Meeting performers in full promotional mode is one of the Fringe’s great pleasures. At Meet the Press, surrounded by flyers, microphones and the usual August chaos, The Sundaes were already in character — not performing, but radiating the same warmth and theatricality that defines their shows. That collision between everyday festival logistics and full‑blown showbusiness is part of what makes the Fringe such an enjoyable oddity: one moment you’re navigating a crowded room, the next you’re chatting with three singers dressed like they’re about to headline Caesars Palace.
Their pitch is gloriously old‑school entertainment: harmony, humour, glamour and personalities large enough to reach the back row of any venue. After eight years away from Edinburgh, they’re returning with confidence and a sense of occasion. As their flyer proudly declares, they are “bigger than ever” — and it’s clear they intend to live up to it.
On the strength of this encounter, *Diva Las Vegas* promises to be a joyful, high‑octane celebration of music, comedy and unapologetic self‑expression. The Sundaes aren’t planning to slip quietly back into the Fringe; they’re here to make noise.
By Pat Harrington
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