Edinburgh Fringe: Misanthropy – C eca

Writer: Sam Siggs

Director: Kirsty Logan

Reviewer: Deborah Klayman

The Public Reviews Rating:

Billed as a tale about six people linked by one assault, Misanthropy is actually the tale of these people linked by three if you want to be precise. Stemming from a sexual assault on Faye (Katie Milne), the only female character in this play – serving as she does the obligatory girlfriend and victim role – the men are spurred into a cycle of violence that achieves nothing other than to make her feel even more powerless. An attempt to look at the need to communicate and connect with others, the play is not particularly successful and breaks no new ground.

There are some well-written parts of this play, particularly the direct address and monologue sections. Faye and Bradley’s (Ross McNab) meeting is amusing and familiar, highlighting the contrast between what thy think of themselves and each other. Milne is superb in the role of Faye, emotional but held back, bringing a sincerity and believability to her text. McNab struggles with his diction, so is hard to understand at times, and both he and Cameron Forbes (Gordon) suffer from a similar problem – though you can see the strength of their intention the performance lacks the ring of truth. Steven Potter is unconvincing as hard-man Mason but does do some nice work around his feelings of disconnection and anhedonia. David Edment is excellent as likeable Oscar, being both committed and convincing in the role, and his scene with Sean Langtree’s Stuart is one of the better ones in the piece.

Aside from the uneven cast, Sam Siggs’ script is a motley affair. With some fantastic dialogue and meaningful moments it just seems that the story is lacking or he was unable to fully realise his intention. This is frustrating, because there is potential in this play, but would need some rethinks and redevelopment to bring it up to par.

Until 27^th August

Edinburgh Fringe: Misanthropy – C eca, 5.0 out of 5 based on 1 rating