EDINBURGH 2013 - BWW Reviews: GARDENING: FOR THE UNFULFILLED AND ALIENATED, Pleasance Courtyard, August 16 2013

"Life isn't your oyster - it's your lobster and it's being boiled alive." It's probably the most memorable quote from Undeb Theatre's shed-based hot ticket - so hot they're all gone - and it gives an indication of the kind of mood this gardener (Richard Corgan) is in.

The audience (all two of us) has the choice of sitting on an upturned plant pot or a tiny stool, and less than three feet away, Owain (Corgan) sits, a disillusioned man in his safe haven, away from his wife and kids. There's no real choice but to make sustained eye contact as he describes how he developed an interest in gardening, and what unusual methods he has started to employ to make his horticultural endeavours better those of his neighbour...and that's when it all gets a bit dark.

It's an intense half-hour, both in terms of the proximity of the performance and the content of Brad Birch's script - an additional advisory email was circulated to ticket-holders recently - and one which is difficult to shake off upon exiting the tiny wooden shed; Owain's intentions right after the play finishes are unsettling, though the effect was somewhat diminished by the sight of the actor outside as we left.

Corgan is committed and convincing in the silent first moments and throughout, making the script conversational enough to be wholly engaging without inviting too much unwanted participation beyond offering a cup of tea (it's a startled, muttered "No thanks" from me).

The performance helps 'Gardening...' surpass the gimmickry of its form, enjoyable on its own terms though that is. If there were any chance whatsoever of getting a ticket for the rest of its run, it would be heartily recommended.

'Gardening: For the Unfulfilled and Alienated' runs at various times daily until 25th August.

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