Joy Watters reviews a 'hilarious, shocking and touching' production.
When first staged in 2009, Midsummer was a two-hander, the story of a couple meeting and going on a mad weekend spree, a rom-com but firmly ground in gritty reality. It has now been adapted for the Rep’s ensemble with the principals joined by a chorus which also takes on the characters peopling their journey.
Now that the ensemble has finally upped its numbers, it is firing on all cylinders, previously seen in The Cheviot, The Stag and the Black Black Oil, and hitting the mark again on this tour of Dundee..
A play with songs by David Greig and Gordon McIntyre, it is hilarious, shocking and touching as the couple gain self knowledge and realise what is really going to make them happy.
Helena (Jo Freer) is a high flying divorce lawyer having an empty affair with a married man and Bob (Martin McBride) has descended into selling dodgy cars for a crook having been a model pupil at school. Her name echoes Shakespeare’s confused Midsummer lovers and his reminds us we are in Edinburgh, not an Athenian wood.
A small scale tour puts cast and audience up close and personal and Freer and McBride excel. In their case, the eyes have it from the moment they meet in a pub, he all twisted round with that `do not speak to me’ look and she with that `up for it’ gleam in hers. They own the gamut of emotion with their eyes shining in delight as they find love. Freer is particularly good at depicting an unhappy woman out of control, drawing laughter of recognition from the audience.
The songs capture their feelings from describing a truly dreadful hangover to what the future could hold. The chorus, dressed like the cast of a children’s TV show, pick up a host of musical instruments to accompany Jon Beales’ clever arrangements.
Director Ros Philips has created a show, full of life, from despair to joy, with the ensemble giving its all.
On tour until October 31. Check website for details.
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