Stripping away the materialistic layers of society and confronting the essence of our own sense of identity is something that we’re becoming increasingly obsessed with. Watching Peter Gordon as the modern day Everyman struggle to hit the notes on the real violin but delivering a track worthy of Tchaikovsky in his imagination reveals the deeper message behind this adaptation; we’ve become the victims of commodity fetishism (and Guitar Hero). So whilst our 15th Century author might have been battling the word of God, we’re pitched against the scream of Maccy Ds.

A promising production from artists on the cusp of the professional world

Loosely based on the original Everyman Leanne Foxwell’s new adaptation focuses on Everyman’s attempts at writing down his life, his experiences and his future. Suffering from the loss of his girlfriend, he attempts to expel the disruptions that he creates until he’s left to confront the ultimate distraction.

Set in Mary King’s Close, new theatre companies ineffect and Moirae have snagged themselves an enviable venue. Walking down the candlelit, crooked stairs into the intimate room with arched ceiling and cracked walls, you feel chills. Foxwell’s adaptation echoes Beckettian sparseness with a minimal script that attempts to balance comedy and a sense of loss and achieves its goals for the most part. Gordon does well in tackling the inevitable downfall of our troubled protagonist, and whilst the pace lags in places tracing the monotony of Everyman’s attempts draws on the individualist culture we live in. However, the play it strongest when it confronts distraction and in these places it verges on some form of metanarrative commenting on the difficulties of writing. This is a promising production from artists on the cusp of the professional world and reveals a lot about our burgeoning generation in terms of what battles we are facing.

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Showing at The Real Mary King’s Close until Thu 18 Feb, Starts at 20:00

Tickets: £5 doors open 20:00 come early to avoid disappointment

Performance is approx. one hour with no interval.