Edinburgh Fringe: The Letter of Last Resort and Good With People – Traverse Theatre
Writers: David Greig and David Harrower
Directors: Nicolas Kent and George Perrin
Reviewer: Tracey Lowe
The Public Reviews Rating: 
The Traverse has put on something really exciting here; Letter of Last Resort and Good With People two relatively new plays from two of Scotland’s great modern playwrights in a double-bill. Both have performed separately before, but given their coinciding theme of nuclear war, they fit together very nicely.
The Letter of Last Resort sees a new female Prime Minister (Belinda Lang), being asked to write a letter than will be kept on a secret British submarine, explaining to the captain what to do in case of a nuclear attack. She is advised by her aide, as her many options in a purely hypothetical situation overwhelm her. This two-hander is absolutely hilarious, and the dialogue is very cutting in places. If only we had a Prime Minister as keen on swearing as Lang’s character.
Good with People is slightly more complex. It tells the story of Helen (Blythe Duff), a hotel worker in a quiet Scottish town. One of her guests is an unwelcome familiar face from the past, Evan (Richard Rankin), and as their history is unfolded to the audience, their relationship changes dramatically. Duff is great as the mysterious, lonely Helen, and she glides across the stage. Rankin is a wonderful young actor, who meets the challenge of playing the difficult and confrontational Evan.
Both plays have their positive points. Letter… is the immediately more appealing piece, while Good With People leaves the audience with quite a lot to think about and digest. It is never completely explicit as to exactly where Helen and Evan stand with each other. However, theatre lovers should grab the chance to see two examples of original, new writing from some phenomenal Scottish playwrights.
Runs until 26th August
Edinburgh Fringe: The Letter of Last Resort and Good With People - Traverse Theatre,Tags: Belinda Lang, Blythe Duff, David Grieg, David Harrower, Drama, Edinburgh, Edinburgh Fringe, Fringe, George Perrin, Good With People, Nicolas Kent, Richard Rankin, The Letter of Last Resort, Theatre, Traverse
