EDINBURGH 2016 - Review: JUST BY ALI SMITH, Assembly George Square Gardens, 15 August
Scottish writer Ali Smith is best known for her short stories and novels, including three books shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. Her 2005 play for Shell Connections, Just, offers a delightful example of Theatre of the Absurd that certainly deserves to be as well known as her other literary endeavours.
In this delicious satire, a young woman discovers a dead body behind a bus stop, stabbed in the back with an umbrella. Moving to take a closer look, she is accosted by a police officer who accuses her of the murder. Soon enough, she is condemned by the local townspeople, and the sinister Mrs Wright, the blindfolded arbiter of justice, as the story begins to take on a darker turn.
This production from Corelli College's KidBrooke Theatre Company is incredibly slick, with a talented young cast demonstrating impeccable understanding of a challenging but rewarding script. Victoria (Edie Friar) gives a gutsy and animated defence of herself as she becomes increasingly more frustrated with the ludicrous nature of the situation, while Ciaron Farrell gives a pitch-perfect performance as Albert the policeman.
They were backed up by an exceptional ensemble who were fantastically well drilled as the townspeople more concerned with pot plants and buses than miscarriages of justice. The ensemble stuck like glue to their exaggerated characters, adding beautiful individual touches, while working seamlessly in unison. Attired in shades of purple and yellow, the comparisons to UKIP are marvellously apt as they condemn Victoria simply for "not being from around here".
The ridiculous nature of the situation makes for plenty of laughs, but this production teases out the underlying menace of society's attitude to those who do not conform and fall into line, while others escape scot-free. After all, as the play tells us, those who shop at Waitrose could not possibly be criminals! The opening and ending could have used a tad more pace, just to keep the audience hooked, but overall, this production was a brilliant achievement for a young company
Just by Ali Smith is at the Assembly George Square Gardens until August 21 at 13:45.
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