Little Lord Fondleroy Brighton Fringe 2026 arrives — and it is exactly the kind of show that makes the Fringe worth staying out late for.
Little Lord Fondleroy at Brighton Fringe — About the Show
Writer-performer Jordana Belaiche brings their hour-long drag show to St James’s Street for a single Brighton performance, now directed by acclaimed multi-disciplinary performer and maker Ros Watt.
The show follows Little Lord Fondleroy through a formative annus eroticus at Flippitts Darstardly Boarding School for Badly Behaved Boys — a world where forbidden desires flourish beneath a sadistic culture of cruelty, and where masculinity and Empire are discovered to be stitched together by caning, cunning and carefully repressed desire.
Loosely based on Francis Hodgson Burnett’s 1886 novel Little Lord Fauntleroy, the show draws on gay, Decadent fin de siècle literature, verse, poetry and music to explore systemic suppression — with considerable wit and theatrical chaos throughout.
Belaiche first developed the character on Soho Theatre’s Drag and Cabaret Lab, returning in February 2026 as part of the Soho Rising festival of new work. Their previous five-star musical comedy Summoning Sondheim toured to New York last autumn.
About Jordana Belaiche
Jordana Belaiche (any pronouns) is a British-Algerian writer, occultist and performer who began their career as a child in West End productions — including Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the London Palladium, Les Misérables and Mary Poppins at the Prince Edward Theatre.
Trained at SOAS, University of London and the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, Belaiche has built a distinctive voice in contemporary queer performance — one that fuses literary reference, musical comedy and drag into something genuinely original.
Their previous five-star show Summoning Sondheim — created with Grace O’Keefe and Bel Parker — was described as “a total riot” by London Theatre Reviews and “very entertaining…very funny” by The Scotsman, touring to New York in autumn 2025.
Little Lord Fondleroy was developed at Soho Theatre’s Drag and Cabaret Lab and returned to Soho Rising in February 2026 before making its Brighton Fringe debut tonight.
About The Lantern Theatre Brighton
The Lantern Theatre on St James’s Street is one of Brighton’s most intimate and versatile performance spaces — a natural home for bold, independent work during the Fringe season. Located in the heart of Kemp Town, it has become one of the essential venues for Brighton Fringe audiences seeking something beyond the mainstream.
Listings Information
📍 The Lantern Theatre, 77 St James’s Street, Brighton BN2 1PA
📅 Tuesday 19 May 2026
🕘 9pm 🎟 Standard £10 / Concessions £8 → Book tickets at The Lantern Theatre
Content warnings: Strong language · Nudity · References to sexual abuse · Depictions of violence · Blood Age guidance: 16+
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