EDINBURGH 2013 - BWW Reviews: HOWIE THE ROOKIE, Assembly Hall, August 18 2013

I didn't know what to expect other than 'Howie the Rookie' is a one-man show set in Dublin. Or at least it's a one-man show now. It's comprised of two monologues from two young Dubliners, first The Howie and then The Rookie. Previously, these roles were portrayed by different actors, but in this production directed by writer Mark O' Rowe, both are played by Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, recently seen in the acclaimed Irish crime drama 'Love/Hate' on Channel 5.

The script, generally concerning the adventures of two fairly dodgy young men on the streets of the Irish capital, is so full of surely impenetrable Dublinisms that I wondered how on earth visitors to the Fringe - or even the Scottish - could make sense of it. I'm from Dublin, and some of the terms were new to me, but I'm pretty sure I had a better grasp on the linguistic idioms than, say, Debbie from Florida. But leaving that aside, and trusting that Debbie will probably be able to grasp the basics, the script is absolutely riveting - hilarious, vibrant and enormously evocative: The Howie, describing a clinch with a somewhat uncouth young lady, describes how he holds her so close in order to "feel the belch in her chest so I can stop kissing before it leaves her mouth".

Vaughan-Lawlor is sensational. Weaving his way around the stage, he's a physical powerhouse, and he gives such tangible meaning to O' Rowe's almost poetic phrasing. In lesser hands, the show's 80 minute running time might conceivably outstay its welcome but there's no hope of that here - it rattles along, and every second is utterly captivating.

'Howie the Rookie' runs daily at 12:40 until August 25.

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