Oh, Calm Down – Edinburgh Summerhall (Cairns Theatre)
In 2024 it’s customary for plays, books or TV programmes like this to carry a trigger warning for anyone who suffers from any form of anxiety. Happy to report that this doesn’t carry any such warning as it’s precisely the sort of thing one should see. It’s sometimes uncomfortable and one audience member is seen leaving the theatre in tears, but this was simply testament to how vividly the two performers represented the issues, so respect to them and director Ed White.
Beautifully paced, it sped up when it needed to, slowed when required and not a pause was wasted. At points, despite the subject, it managed to be funny and entertaining too.
To start with, both Claire (Charlotte Anne-Tilley) and Lucy (Maddy Banks) are late delivering something, in Claire’s case some coursework for ...