Review: STUDIO 3 SEASON, Tron Theatre

Studio 3 Season is a mini rep season of plays that originally appeared as part of the A Play, A Pie and A Pint series and are being restaged at the Tron Theatre. There are three performers featured across the shows, three writers and three directors and they run as both stand-alone performances and three show days.

Alright Sunshine 

Alright Sunshine is a solo show written by Isla Cowan, directed by Debbie Hannan and performed by Dani Heron. 

Nicky is a police officer working the beat around the Edinburgh Meadows. She's followed in her father's footsteps much to her mother's dismay. Her mum wants her to do something safer and settle down in a relationship. Her dad has moulded her in his image since she was little with toy guns and dress-up police uniforms. "Dinnae be emotional" he'd tell her, "dinnae be a girl" - seemingly oblivious to the fact that she is indeed, a girl. 

Alright Sunshine gets off to a gentle start as Nicky talks about her day at work. Debbie Hannan's direction is perfect and the show is beautifully paced. The joggers and dog walkers give way to the late-night drunks. Nicky talks about the psychological effect a female officer has on the general public- the women are more likely to take her advice and the men are less likely to get violent. And she's fine with the force exploiting this. Sort of. 

While Isla Cowan's writing is brilliant and sharp, Alright Sunshine all comes down to the performance. An hour is a long time for one actor to command the audience's attention but Dani Heron has the room captivated throughout. There's a false sense of security from this gentle woman who has spent years pushing down her emotions until she can't help but rage. The switch is disarming and this play being genuinely distressing to watch at points, is a testament to the strength of Heron as an actor. 

Fleg 

Written by Meghan Tyler and directed by Dominic Hill, Fleg was a highlight of the Play Pie Pint 2023 Autumn/Winter season. Caroline (Jo Freer) and her husband Bobby (Kevin Lennon) live in East Belfast and have a deep love of the Union. When they see Tierna (Dani Heron) putting their beloved Union Jack "fleg" to half-mast they find out their beloved Queen has passed away and take their grief out on this council worker that they assume is Catholic. 

Caroline grieves for the Queen, likening the death to her own mother. Bobby takes a less traditional path and expresses his physical affection for the flag. Dani Heron also doubles up as a sequin-clad fantasy version of his favourite fabric. 

Fleg is a wickedly funny and shocking piece of theatre that challenges sectarian prejudices and ideas. Caroline and Bobby are grotesque figures that take their perceived cultural identity to the extreme. These leopard print clad, Benidorm holidaying, flag shagging characters could be seen as over the top if you didn't know people exactly like this. 
 

Fruitcake 

Written by Frances Poet and directed by Jemima Levick, Fruitcake was originally staged with the title The Prognostications of Mikey Noyce. 

Mikey (Kevin Lennon) has missed his Best Friend's mum's funeral. Holly (Jo Freer) comes round to rage at him for being a crap friend but realises that he's struggling mentally. Mikey hasn't left the house since the pandemic and he believes that he has been having visions, predicting world events. He wants Holly to use her old school connections to get a message to the government, warning them of what's coming.

Fruitcake struggles to strike the balance between what appears to be a psychotic episode and a cute little love story. Mikey is genuinely unwell and it feels like some of his issues are tied up too neatly by the potential of a romance. There's a nice realistic portrayal of grief, Holly is currently carrying the last cake her mother made around with her and struggles with what she'll do once the last of the cake has been eaten. 

It's an entertaining watch but Fruitcake possibly suffers from being in a triple bill with two such strong plays. It's a sweet rom-com that feels like a bit of a letdown up against the other plays in this rep season.

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