Lorna Irvine reviews a 'somewhat nice production'.
Fishwrap, a co-production with Ayr’s Gaiety and Oran Mor, is a curiously old-fashioned tale.
When gushy, principled young graduate Caroline (Helen Mackay) is given a prime editorial post, it transpires it’s with the less than salubrious Clackmannanshire Courier (sample headline: There will be Hell Toupee).
But principles as we all know do not sell papers, so will she compromise and sell out by printing something politically incendiary or stand her ground and risk losing her job?
A perfunctory script by Kieran Lynn has, nonetheless, some stinging one-liners and nice observations on the nature of tabloid mentality, and the production is elevated by Mackay’s considerable energy—even if she does look too young to have just graduated.
Better still is Louis Ludgate’s campy OTT performance as corrupt, cynical uber-creep boss Polly St. James, who wafts through this somewhat nice production like some much-needed toxic air.
Fishwrap performs at Oran Mor until Feb 15 then goes to The Gaiety from Feb 18-22.
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