�An Islington composer who penned an award-winning musical that became a nationwide smash is bringing the show back to the borough.

Fresher, which was named most promising new musical at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe and has been adapted by students all over the country, will show at the Pleasance Theatre in New North Road, Holloway, on July 30 and 31.

The story charts the experiences of a group of friends as they attempt to negotiate that infamous student ritual - fresher’s week,

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Mark Aspinall, 25, of Ferntower Road, Newington Green, wrote the music and lyrics. He said: “I was really fascinated by the idea of fresher’s week as it’s such a bizarre time of your life.

“You have hundreds of completely different people all thrown together who don’t know each other, and you just have to deal with it.”

After a successful stint at last year’s fringe, the show will head north of the border again after the Pleasance previews.

“It’s really gone from strength to strength,” Mr Aspinall said. “We performed in a smaller venue last year, but to have it showing at somewhere like the Pleasance is fantastic.”

The show’s success has been boosted by the release of the amateur rights earlier this year, which has resulted in students at universities across the country, including Cambridge and Southampton, staging their own versions.

Mr Aspinall added: “It’s really inspiring and rewarding to know that people are performing your work all over the country. It’s fascinating to see where people will go with it and how they will perform it.”