Water Colour
Pitlochry Festival Theatre 14/5/25
Byre Theatre with Playwrights’ Studio Scotland, and Pitlochry Festival Theatre
I didn’t quite know what to expect from the winner of St Andrews Playwriting Award winner, Milly Sweeney. I was aware of the quality of work emanating from St Andrews University. A recent visit confirmed it was still a thriving community of students from when our daughter was a student some 15 years ago. Then the Byre was just beginning to create work but was always closed when I was visiting. This debut work by Milly Sweeny is a testament to its longevity.
From the press release I groaned. Not another piece by an entitled millennial wittering on about how hard life is. You can guess I am an oldie! But how wrong I was. And I am so glad that I went along. A two-hander delivered by talented young actors, staged by an award-winning actor and director, this was a terrific hour and half of theatre expertise. In Glasgow, a young girl stands at a bridge wondering if she can end it all by jumping in the Clyde. A young man saves her and saves himself. And so, the story unfolds. Yes, it is about mental health. Yes, it is about how life can be not what you expect it to be. But told with humour, reality and empathy it had the audience with it all the way. Good writing always wins, and Milly Sweeney has this in abundance. I’m looking forward to seeing more of her works in the future. Not to forget the talent of the young cast.
Molly Geddes, making her professional stage debut, is full of life and energy, and handles being in close contact with the audience in the studio with aplomb. She plays the central character of an art student who fails her last assignment ‘what can you do with a painter who can’t paint?’ She also takes on the persona of several others, particularly the nasty chef who relegates Harris to washing up duty. Harris played by Ryan J Mackay is a revelation. He provokes humour and sadness from his character and displays a strong sense of stagecraft. Both actors have strong physicality leaping around the set, cleverly providing multiple incarnations. Watch out for them both in the upcoming six-part drama on BBC1 and Netflix – ‘The Bombing of Pan Am 103.’
‘Water Colour’ is strongly directed and choreographed by Sally Raid, previously seen as Shirley Valentine last year, and dramaturg Frances Poet. They bring life to a piece that could be just ‘stand and deliver.’ A shout out also to the sound designer Ross Brown, providing an non-intrusive but essential background to the story. In all, this was a terrific afternoon in the new studio space at Pitlochry. Water Colour runs for only three nights at Pitlochry and then moves on to the Byre Theatre in St Andrews 28/ 29 May only. Not so far for Edinburgh residents. Catch it while you can
