Showing @ Traverse Theatre, then touring
The consequences of alcohol are often ones we desperately want to forget, but what if it happens to produce a weekend that we want to remember for ever? Midsummer [a play with songs] explores just that with a touching pithiness. In 2009, the play received high critical acclaim at the Edinburgh Fringe and it’s easy to see why. Bob (Matthew Pidgeon) is a Leith based criminal, unhappy with his dealings in the murky underworld and Helena (Cora Bissett) is a confident divorce lawyer filled with loneliness. They are certainly not well matched and their relationship is one which is entered with incredible reticence but they sleep together and what follows is the repercussion of such openly needed companionship.
With all this in mind, it’s important to point out that the play is a comedy, albeit with poignancy lurking around every corner. The performances by both actors are ones to revel in, however Bissett in particular is striking. She delivers both male and female roles that swell with comedic efficiency. Their bitterness with being middle-age is, paradoxically, a joyous disillusionment. In the past, the script has been seen to share parallels with many romcom films yet this detracts from its wonderful scepticism which portrays real life with a beautiful and necessary actuality.
Following the story in a third person narration, at first, sits oddly yet it’s delivered with such conviction and ease that it’s easy to disengage our initial hesitation. Unfortunately, the play is not without its sticky moments. Midsummer is dotted with on-stage acoustic duets that are used to signify the importance of a given moment yet they only manage to create awkwardness with lyrics that go unnoticed. We all have a reluctance to grow up but Midsummer explores the idea that perhaps when we finally and willingly accept it as inevitable, life will begin to get a little better.