Dancing Shoes – Traverse Theatre

Unbridled joy. A tonic. In an almost panto-style atmosphere this brilliantly written work of Edinburgh-based duo Stephen Christopher and Graeme Smith is brought to life in celebratory fashion, complete with audience participation, and the themes (NOT memes); addiction, isolation and depression. Still with us?

The set is comprised of five chairs and an Eric’n’Ernie curtain through which, eventually, reluctantly, steps our Byrne-esque hirsute hero Donny (Stephen Docherty). ‘Dancin’ Donny’ encounters Craig (Lee Harris) and Jay (Craig McLean) in a local community centre where amongst the Craft Workshops, Yoga (and Baby Yoga) activities on offer are sessions for recovering addicts. With Maggie, who always takes the central chair and alternates the direction of conversation depending on the day of the week. We never meet her, or receptionist Lauren Bacall (should be McCall?) but both feature at various moments.

All three protagonists are scarred and feel, despite their varied ages, washed up, nervous of life in general and more significantly the future. With optimism in short supply, they’re not even Still Game. What they become after embarrassing – and re-locating – Donny are heroes to themselves and an inspiration to the audience. The wit is sharp and slick, there really isn’t a wasted line, word or moment. Take a bow much-garlanded director Brian Logan. Take an eye off this for a second and you’ll miss something. There was fourth-wall fracture a-go-go, the audience ‘in on’ everything, willing them to do the right thing. Which they didn’t always do, but… having witnessed the secret, self-prescribed medicine employed by Donny to replace his daily five-bottles-of-plonk habit, Craig, discovering reserves of entrepreneurial spirit, posts some footage. As anyone who’s attended a wedding in the last 12 months is aware, it’s an unavoidably comic spectacle when men of a certain age and stature replicate R’n’B/Pop dance moves. It must have been a lot of fun for the players working with choreographer Jack Webb. Needless to say, the social media posts result in the predictable mix of likes and dislikes, praise and abuse, but whatever attention it attracts, it can always be monetised. Hence the plot careers towards a planned engagement for Donny to entertain at a student Fresher’s event…

This is on at The Traverse until December 20th and despite the odd expletive it’d make a great family night out. It’s peri peri good and tempting as it is to deduct a star for the omission of the Bogle from Donny’s list of dances, we won’t. Guaranteed you’ll be humming Supertramp’s Logical Song on the way out.

Reviewer: Roger Jacobs

Reviewed: 5th December 2025

North West End UK Rating: