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KILLYMUCK Vivid and well-crafted social critique ●●●●●
Impassioned societal critique and cleverly observed humour are the two disparate strands that define KillyMuck, Kat Woods’ exploration of a young girl growing up as a member of the underclass on a deprived housing estate in Northern Ireland. It’s a story of abuse, social exclusion and the viciousness of female friendship. Armed with experience, understanding and compassion for so-called ‘benefit kids’, it's also a call for equity and equality.
For a play beginning with actress Aoife Lennon
pretending to be born, it’s no surprise that the rest of the performance is brimming with vitality, comedy and boundless energy. Lennon dives around the stage re-enacting fights and childish moments, her emotional resonance always close to the surface. Tales of babysitting a prostitute’s children and sniffing deodorant to the music of the Cranberries are portrayed with wit and glee, but these quips don’t undermine the darker side of KillyMuck, where stories of suicide and sectarianism are told with powerful and moving simplicity. Overall this is a clever and crucial examination of
underclass life, delivered with fun and feeling. (Rachel Walker) ■ Underbelly Bristo Square, until 27 Aug, 6.25pm, £10–£11 (£9–£10).
THE SHALLOW ENTERTAINMENT TOUR Sadly not quite escaping the title’s warning ●●●●●
The show’s intended performer, Sören Bergen, is unable to be with us, hesitant stand-in narrator Tim informs us – he’s currently stuck in Norway for murky legal reasons. Tim has never seen the show’s script before, and he’s about to read for the first time its tender tale of lost love in the small Norwegian town of Faukhan. His pre-show explanation, however, also comes with warnings about the veracity of what we’re about to hear, and whether we can actually believe a word of it. This solo show charts a storytelling path that’s been
trod many times before at the Fringe, of a quirky, sweetly sentimental story of young love. It’s made more complex by its elusive narrative, in which facts seem to slip from grasp under examination. What, for instance, did Sören do that was so wrong it made his beloved Mona run away?
Nevertheless, the rather flat delivery, despite frequent interactions with the audience, struggles to sustain interest, especially at the show’s late timeslot. This is a thoughtful creation about truth, rumour and identity, but rather too low-key for its own good. (David Kettle) ■ Underbelly Bristo Square, until 26 Aug (not 15), 10.50pm, £9–£10 (£8–£9).
THE POLITICAL HISTORY OF SMACK AND CRACK Angry yet witty political theatre ●●●●●
Covering both the personal and social impact of heroin, Political History is a brash yet thoughtful analysis of how the British state was complicit in the increase of drug use during the 1980s. Following the adventures of a couple who battle with their own addictions, Ed Edward’s script balances informative interludes with darkly witty tales from the drug-use frontline.
The core thesis of the production is the shocking idea that, after the riots across the UK in 1981, the Conservative government indirectly allowed the development of an international trade in heroin so that the working class would shift their energy away from protest into gangsterism and addiction. Although the central relationship has moments of comedy, their lives are blighted by drug use, poverty and the threat of death, and the play refuses to condemn their criminality and recognises how social opportunity is denied to the working classes. The fast pace, the juxtaposition of lectures on political history and episodes from the life of the couple, the urgency of the message and the dark jokes combine to lift Political History from being either misery-porn or polemical complaint. (Gareth K Vile) ■ Roundabout @ Summerhall, until 26 Aug, 5.30pm, £14–£15 (£10–£12).
MY LEFT / RIGHT FOOT Inclusivity musical is riotously funny and asks us to better ourselves ●●●●●
The Kirktoon Players want to compete for am-dram awards. Their cynical solution; to stage a theatrical adaptation of the classic film My Left Foot, casting their own able-bodied leading man as Christy Brown. What could go wrong? Director Robert Softley Gale, who has cerebral palsy and a track record of wittily deconstructing stereotypes, remembers the Oscar winning film vividly – but rightfully considers it problematic since it is Daniel Day Lewis’ performance that is remembered and not the film’s real life subject. His daring musical, a Birds of Paradise and National Theatre of Scotland co-production, boldly sets about mocking inspiration porn and reclaiming Brown's story. Too clouded by their own personal agendas to make real
progress, the Kirktoon Players can't get their production right. My Left / Right Foot wastes no time in portraying their tactless takes on Brown's life (‘I want love / I want more / In the meantime I’m sucking whiskey through a straw’), a situation exacerbated when their CP-suffering stagehand, Chris (Matthew Duckett), gets roped in. The songs and performances soar for 90 minutes; Gail Watson's would- be matriarch Sheena is fiercely cutting, John McLarnon's thespian Grant is brilliantly self-obsessed, and as Gillian, Dawn Sievewright both sings and swears spectacularly. This co-production is hilarious; the gags are close to the
bone, and important questions are asked about inclusivity. It wisely resists depicting a fully transformative journey at its close, instead leaving plenty to consider, debate and argue about. (Craig Angus) ■ Assembly Roxy, until 27 Aug (not 21), 6.10pm, £16 (£12).
15–27 Aug 2018 THE LIST FESTIVAL 83