With the evenings becoming lighter and the weather getting slightly warmer, thoughts are turning to the summer months. In Edinburgh that usually means festival season. In August 2015 the Traverse Theatre was home to several hit Fringe Festival shows. Crash (written by Andy Duffy) was one of the stand out productions, therefore the audience this evening is lucky to catch it once more in its original venue.
The backdrop is the financial crisis and the fall out from the crash. It is a story about responsibility, anxiety, spirituality and tragedy. As the audience enters the theatre space they are confronted with a curious set. A single chair sits centre stage and the backdrop appears to be a sheet of dark linoleum draped from the ceiling and spread over the floor. However when Jamie Michie walks onstage he automatically absorbs all the attention. Michie plays the unnamed protagonist of the story and his subtle delivery gets under the skin of how a corporate banker thinks and acts during stressful times. He pauses and hesitates. He fidgets and readjusts his hair and clothes and during this time he delivers a monologue where we learn about two different crashes. A financial crash and another that feels far more tragic and personal.
A car crash has shaped the banker’s life and caused him to seek spiritual enlightenment. From the protagonist’s actions and their dry and at times cynical approach, it seems obvious that this enlightenment will come only after a lot of struggle.
Andy Duffy has written an excellent piece of theatre. Crash does not look at economics or the facts and figures behind the financial crisis. Instead the audience is witness to a personal and reflective individual. He is not loud and boisterous, yet he is unreasonable and incapable of handling his emotions. This presents an engaging and tragic story that feels fresh, powerful and innovative.
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