Now, that possibly sounds like an odd premise for a show, but this is so well done that we suspended our disbelief before the first chorus of the first song had been reached.

The story is that it is 1972, and Cricket Hayfield (Milo Morris) wants to leave his life in the fields, and his friends, to move to the big bug city. We follow Cricket through his journey to fame, which has the typical highs and lows that have become familiar tropes of this type of story.

The cast of five are all impressively talented musicians, and as a group, they are all well-synced. The sound mix is also well done, meaning that the lyrics can actually be heard distinctively.

Cricket is telling his version of the story of how he and the Freebugs came to be famous, so we begin in those rural fields, before Cricket’s friends there send him off to the bug city. Once there, Cricket is rejected by a caterpillar producer, who is a Simon Cowell-type figure who controls the ‘Big Bug Show’ – the concert every musician wants to feature in. Having been rejected everywhere he tries, for not being distinctive enough, Cricket finds his way to a dung heap.

At the dung heap, Cricket hears other bugs making music, and comes up with the idea to form a band. The band is made up of a Stick Insect (Johan Ribbing), an Ant (Louise Perico), a Beetle (Pascal Perico) and a Bee (Ian Chavez Zarate). There is mention of the fact that ‘all insects stick to their own kind’, and that this cross-mingling of different bugs is unusual, and not what bug society expects, or easily accepts. But Cricket isn’t to be deterred, and so ‘Cricket and the Freebugs’ are born.

We see the band’s popularity grow, until, inevitably, Caterpillar makes Cricket an offer to appear on the Big Bug Show – but on his own, as a solo artist. He’s being asked to abandon his rag-tag band of bugs.

This is a story aimed at younger audiences, so there’s nothing hugely surprising about the trajectory of the narrative here, but how we travel through it is delightful.

The music heavily leans towards a funk vibe, and there’s some lovely, very catchy songs included. The costumes give a ‘Pixar’ vibe, with big antennae and a clever use of period-appropriate clothing to convey the personalities of the different bugs. The black widow spider is particularly well done.

There’s obviously been very careful attention paid to the script, and as well as some very well considered word play, there’s also some genuine facts about insects and how they live. Because one of the bugs is a beetle, he, naturally, has a Liverpool accent, and tends to speak in Beatle’s song lyrics and titles. It’s a really nice bit, and probably one for the parents who will bring their children to the show.

The knock-on effects of the ongoing Princes Street closure in Edinburgh city centre means that the venue for this show has relocated to Saint Andrew Square, but this has served to provide a somewhat calmer experience than might otherwise be the case, and that entirely suits the vibe of this show.

Overall, we loved this show, which is a hidden gem in the 2026 Fringe programme. Aimed at a younger audience, parents will find themselves charmed and enchanted by this cleverly conceived bug universe.