Lorna Irvine reviews a 'true, funny and heartbreaking' production.
An all-too familiar story has new life breathed into it by writer and director Donna Franceschild, originally commissioned as a radio play for Radio 4, now adapted for the stage.
Long-term collaborator with Franceschild, Iain Robertson is Davy, wee gallus wide-oh and pain in the ass, supposedly looking for his 'dug, Vincent'. Kathy (Eilidh McCormick) is a troubled woman , ready to take her life by jumping off a bridge. Davy, who won't leave the lady alone, becomes a guardian angel of sorts, even if his patter leaves a lot to be desired, and his stories are longer and more convoluted than War and Peace.
Awkward pauses and withering Glasgow humour are perfectly judged, ensuring the pace never lets up, but there is space for reflection too. It's at once moving and cringingly recognisable, right down to Davy's 'minging chicken tikka' and Kathy's 'fake-gold necklace from Argos'.
As their respective stories unravel, with both united by family problems, the beautifully-written dialogue deftly ping-pongs between them, with stunning performances from both. Much stronger than her emotionally manipulative Taking Over the Asylum, which collapsed in a heap of mawkish sentiment and cliches, this one hurts because it's simply true, funny and heartbreaking. Franceschild works for the Samaritans, after all. She's heard it all before, and these stories (just like the people behind them) she will not let die.
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