Scotland

Piskie – Summerhall, Edinburgh

One of my favourite posters of this years’ Fringe, and a one word title that hints at something….interesting. Couple this with one of my fav performance spaces, a little hidden gem of a venue, a beautifully proportioned theatre, just ten seats wide with a central aisle, focused but friendly, raking back into the darkness, a surprisingly long way…. And at the business end a very nice performance area, about an acre of black cloth enfolds it and damps voices down to a pleasant whisper, but with plenty of tech if you need amplification. Basically, a black box in which magic can happen.

Lights duly killed, lecturer Ouida Bert (Lucy Roslyn) employs the torch under the chin (it always works!) to relate a spooky tale of two male friends, a policeman and a barrister, lost on the moor who take shelter in a lonely Bothy. Later that night they are awoken and both swear to have first heard then seen the devil himself rearing up outside by the light of the moon.

Lights returned to normal, Ouida goes on with a winning smile to lecture us about the believability of accounts, and the psychology of why we find some things believable and others not. She also introduces some of her own beliefs and early memories, and her dad who disappeared a long, long time ago. It’s not long before she’s also having a conspiratorial dig at her head of department Diana Byron, whom she mimics with a sneer.

All is not quite rosy in the Psychology Dept.

One of the cleverest aspects of this piece is that it connects with the vulnerability of the lecturer and the actor, and the common ground that they both share. Ouida’s nervous laugh or her quivering restrained anger at others is shared with her students / audience. It’s a clever site specific merging of the two disciplines, which creates a power and believability both in the lecture itself and the subject matter.

However, like a Steven King novella, It’s not long before the lecture takes a turn down a lesser travelled path, into an unexpected tale.

Lucy Roslyn’s performance is as delicate as it is powerful, nuanced and completely captivating from start to finish. An unravelling which certainly has you guessing right to the end.

Reviewer: Greg Holstead

Reviewed: 17th August 2024

North West End UK Rating: