No Apologies is a radical mis-remembering of Nirvana’s iconic 1993 MTV Unplugged concert.
Emma Frankland brought her wildly inventive and defiant Edinburgh Fringe smash, No Apologies to The Old Market and, thanks to the generosity of TOM, I was in the audience.
No Apologies is an award-winning radical reimagining of Nirvana’s iconic 1993 MTV Unplugged concert, deftly weaving internet discourse with classical mythology and alternative history, asking what the world would look like if Kurt Cobain was trans.
After a critically acclaimed run at the Edinburgh Festival in 2025 (winning the Bragi Award for creativity and artistic excellence and a Besties Award for new writing) this brilliantly witty and emotionally powerful show comes to TOM this August.
Urgent and politically sharp, No Apologies is a spectacular collision between theatre and grunge, autobiography and alternate history, weaving together threads of pop culture with mythology and ritual, fuelled by the experience of coming-of-age in the nineties.
Frankland’s extra special homecoming show was accompanied by an electric six-piece live tribute band, showcasing an emotional and electric display of some of Nirvana’s most loved songs.
The set was an impressive recreation of the one that audiences saw on the 1993 performance right down to the stage strewn with white lilies and a chandelier hanging above. The audience seating was a mixture of raked seating and tables at the front.
Emma and her band enter to enthusiastic applause, as she takes her seat in an office-style chair at the front just as Kurt Cobain did in the MTV show. She pivots in said chair, slumped wearing an identical outfit to Cobain’s with the perfect addition of white sunglasses.
The performance is peppered with perfect renditions of Nirvana songs delivered strikingly, vocally by Frankland (despite her declaring that she was losing her voice) It’s not a tribute performance but her own voice blends with that of Cobain beautifully. She was backed with her superb band who’ve had to step straight into the show with little preparation, as it seemed from overheard comments from the musicians in the bar. They were faultless bar one starting glitch later in the show which was handled to appear as though it was planned.
This was a strong, spirited virtuoso performance peppered with humour and direct interaction with the audience. Frankland’s references to her own 14-year-old self and experiences are heartbreaking, but it was those experiences which have made her writing of this piece inspired. To an extent Kurt Cobain and his music saved her from potential suicide that happen to many trans people in their isolation made worse by current government restrictions world-wide.
Although the whole show was just faultless, the most striking interlude for me was when Frankland donned a crinoline inspired dress, almost fighting or dancing with the chandelier that she had dropped from above to head height on stage. To me, along with the words spoken, this was a crescendo in the performance.
After the performance we were treated to a post-show discussion with Emma Frankland, David Sheppeard (dramaturg) and Everett True (aka: Dr Jerry Thackray), the author of Nirvana: The True Story (2006). Known as “the man who invented grunge” and “the journalist who introduced Kurt to Courtney” (although he maintains that it wasn’t that simple). Kurt Cobain once called Dr Thackray “the biggest rock star journalist in the world”. He’s certainly a character whose comments contradict themselves at times, but the audience loved him.
You can catch the show at The Old Market at 8pm tonight before it moves on to a variety of locations in Europe and further afield. You certainly won’t be disappointed.
Tickets
Friday 28 & Saturday 29 August, 8pm, The Old Market.
Doors: 19:15
Seated (unreserved)
Tickets: £16, concessions £13
Plus £2 venue levy
Age: 16+ only
Please note: Both performances will be captioned
Duration: 90 mins
- Content Warnings – Contains haze and smoke, flashing lights, loud noises/music and distressing themes including non-graphic mentions of suicide, violence, drug addiction, transphobia and homophobia. A freesheet with support services will be available from the artist’s website.
Presented by Marlborough Productions
https://www.theoldmarket.com/shows/no-apologies
CREDITS
Writer & Performer: Emma Frankland
Director: Harry Clayton-Wright
Sound Designer & Original Music Composition: Keir Cooper
Lighting Designer: Simon Booth
Dramaturgy: David Sheppeard
Captions: Subira Joy
Costume & Curtain Design & Construction: Philip J Shaw
Set Dressing: Tamara D’Silva
Photographer: Matt Crockett
Access Advisor: Laura Edmans
Flyer & Logo Design: Charlie Wood
Trailer Filming & Editing: Rosie Powell
Produced by Marlborough Productions and Emma Frankland
MUSICIANS
Robin Squirrel – Cello
George Hannington – Cello / Drums
Kate Shields – Electric Guitar
Effie Fowler – Guitars
Siobbhan Sarelle – Bass
Keir Cooper – Drums
No Apologies is commissioned by Marlborough Productions. Supported by Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts, The Old Electric, Northumbria University and Arts Council England.
