Showing @ The Traverse Theatre, 4 – 21 August, Times Vary
David Harrower’s own production of his new play A Slow Air, is an emotional slow-burner depicting love, loss and our innate fear of death. Split between Edinburgh and Glasgow, estranged brother and sister, Athol (Lewis Howden) and Morna (Kathryn Howden) battle out their demons and a fourteen yearlong family feud in an almost point-scoring monologue style.
Both characters have fierce ideas and perceptions about Scottish identity, burying their fears and allowing them to turn bitter, resulting in an awkward meeting on Morna’s son’s 21st birthday. Played by real life brother and sister, the pair capture the competitive nature of siblings, and are more alike than they let on. With Athol’s career in a period of stagnation and Morna turning to fumbles in pub toilets to get any sense adoration, they both appear lost in a world which just keeps going, leaving them further and further behind. Harrower’s writing is almost poetic, and with each monologue the audience gets drawn even further into action, as Lewis and Kathryn’s story telling ability paints a clear picture of working life within Scotland’s central belt. With reference to the 2007 Glasgow bombing and Morna’s refusal to talk about hospital visits, Harrower is able to comment upon class divisions, family loyalty and the fear of terrorism that has seeped into society and turned many people sour.