Billed as a show that combines Tom Neenan’s skills as a writer, comic, actor and semi-professional portrait artist, Portrait of Tom as a Young Neenan delivers on all fronts. Neenan’s title is knowingly pretentious and gives an accurate insight into the eponymous main character.
An accomplished performer, his ability to make the mundane theatrical is evident from the onset when he delivers a clever sketch on getting a passport photo. It is a perfect entry into his story which ponders both the practical and philosophical nature of a portrait he is commissioned to paint.
His subject is Lionel, an eccentric octogenarian with a creative approach to biography that rivals Neenan’s own and makes for some interesting observations on self-perception. Neenan weaves parts of his life through the plot, blending occasional pathos with lots of absurdity, a technique which is hugely effective.
There are occasional lulls in an otherwise high energy gig with a few stories and one liners that don’t quite hit the mark, but it doesn’t take Neenan long to recover his audience’s interest. He is at his strongest when his comedy is physical and a sketch on a famous Spanish painting is a performance highlight. The final scene is quite unexpected and poignant, directly contrasting with the opening and still completely complementing it.
Tom Neenan as a Young Man runs at 15.15 daily until 31st August at Bluebell at Underbelly, George Square with tickets available at https://underbellyedinburgh.co.uk/
Reviewer: Triona Scully
Reviewed: 11th August 2026
North West End UK / Theatre Muse UK Rating: