REVIEW: GETTING TO IONA @ UNION CHAPEL

🎭 Getting to Iona

📍 Upper Bar, Union Chapel, 19b Compton Terrace, London, N1 2UN

🗓 Thursday 27th August 2026

⭐️ 4 Stars

AN ENGAGING AND MAGNETIC JOURNEY

As the weather starts to change and it begins to get darker earlier (hello, autumn creeping in!), the Camden Fringe remains in full, glorious swing. For this trip, I headed over to Islington to check out GETTING TO IONA at the Union Chapel – specifically the Upper Hall Bar, which was a brand-new venue space for me.

The premise of this show immediately grabbed me. It weaves together three distinct journeys across time to the sacred, remote Scottish island of Iona, treating us to an epic triptych of historic and personal pilgrimages. First, we travel all the way back to 563 AD to trace the footsteps of St Columba, the Irish monk who sailed into the unknown to found the island's legendary monastery. Then, we fast-forward 1,400 years to 1963 to follow John Barry, who re-enacted that very same historic crossing with twelve fellow pilgrims. Finally, we land right in the present day with a modern voyage of discovery that tries to piece it all together. What makes it even more fascinating is the pedigree behind it. The piece is written and performed by Tom Barry, who happens to be the grandson of that 1963 traveller.

Now, regular readers know how much I care about how a show kicks off. The opening here did not disappoint. I absolutely loved the "bait and switch" element of the start. We are totally led to believe the narrative is heading in one very distinct direction, only for the rug to be pulled and the true, deeply intriguing concept to be revealed.

Tom Barry has an undeniably magnetic presence on stage. His storytelling is deeply compelling, and there is just something about him that draws you in completely. You hang on his every word, and honestly, the 60-minute runtime literally flew by. His writing is beautifully visual, making it incredibly easy to picture every landscape and emotional beat described. I loved the flip-flopping between perspectives, which felt like watching a reverse Clark Kent! Instead of taking them off to save the day, he simply pops on a pair of glasses and transforms right before your eyes into his grandfather. When he channels John, he adopts this gorgeous Irish accent that completely shifts the energy. It was so convincing that it felt as if the story was being told by two entirely separate people sharing the space.

This is undoubtedly a fantastic debut for the piece, though I did have just a few minor niggles. The first was the sound, which I think is down to the tricky acoustics of the space more than anything else. A bit of the dialogue unfortunately got lost up in the rafters, and whenever recorded sounds played, it made it a tad difficult to hear him clearly. I also felt that during the moments he spoke as John, the dialogue occasionally felt a little bit rushed.

Finally, while I totally understand the constraints of a fringe venue, I'd love to see some subtle lighting shifts introduced as the show develops. Having a brighter wash whenever the story jumps back to Tom in the present day would add a really nice visual distinction.

Those tiny quibbles aside, GETTING TO IONA is an exciting, deeply engaging piece of theatre that I would highly recommend catching.

Neill Kovacic-Clarke

All views are my own and I pride myself on being honest, fair and free from influence. Theatre is subjective and it is important to remember that all views expressed are just those of one reviewer.  

My ticket for this performance of Getting to Iona was gifted by Running with Scissors, who invited me to watch the show in exchange for my honest review. The fact that my ticket was gifted played no part in the content of my review or the star rating given. 

WRITTEN BY & STARRING:

Tom Barry

RUNNING TIME (approx):

1 hour, with no interval

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