 It’s 2025 at the Edinburgh Fringe and, oddly enough, there are multiple hot dog-themed plays on the programme. But this one? This is the true story and origin and revival of a real icon.
Michael Quinn, best known in the culinary business world as the man who resurrected the Feltman’s Hot Dogs brand from obscurity, takes to the stage for his first performance in 25 years. It’s an unexpected return to theatre for a man whose life over the last few decades has been defined more by steam, mustard, and business meetings than scripts and stage lights. Yet here he is, performing a one-man show that’s as much about a personal journey as it is about the birth, death, and rebirth of an American legend. Quinn proves himself a natural storyteller. He brings to life and dives into the early days of Charles Feltman - the ambitious, slightly eccentric entrepreneur who first turned the humble sausage into a cultural institution. The play relishes in its history: the birth of the product in the 1920s, the growth and expansion of Coney Island and the eventual collapse that left Feltman’s nothing more than a loving memory to New Yorkers. Then comes Quinn’s act two as the unlikely saviour himself who, decades later, stumbled into the brand’s remnants and decided to breathe life back into it. His tales of pushing through the grind of a small-business revival have the audience admiring his tenacity. A quirky piece of culinary history told with warmth, charm, and an irresistible dose of nostalgia, Feltman: World’s First Hot Dog is proof that sometimes the best fringe stories are the ones you didn’t expect to hear and from a surprising performer. Lee Hutchison 4/5 Feltman: World's First Hot Dog Venue: Lime Studio at Greenside @ George Street Dates: August 11th to 23rd (excluding 17th) Time: 1350 Tickets: www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/feltman-world-s-first-hot-dog |
|
