Checking In
★★★★☆ Captivating
Greenside @ George Street – Ivy Studio (Venue 236): Fri 2 to Sat 10 Aug 2024
Review by Katrina Dixon
Bringing a fresh energy to the many familiar fictional tropes that use death as a character is a tough job. However, Simply Surreal carries it off with ease in Checking In, a laugh out loud, pacey and thought-provoking two-hander written by Dougal Thomson and directed by Lisa McDonald.
This is a show where you’ll forget time, and that you’re in a classically tiny Fringe space, as actors Tom Showell and May Daley fill the space with a creatively-stuck famous musician and his surprising fan, Death, with bubbling energy and charm.
May Daley. Pic Simply Surreal
Death in this interpretation is not on a pale horse, but definitely pale, decked out in modern goth clubbing attire and checking in with her boss, Azreal, by mobile phone. Daley’s Death is far from morbid or sombre as her unlikely squealing and fan worship leads to checking out from, well, doing the whole death thing, to check in on her musical hero George Mitchell.
Showell’s George has had a little too much fame, too fast – but also has the pressure of delivering another successful album. He is more concerned with potentially being “kicked for a Chalamet concept album” and being jealous of Ed Sheeran.
lightly and deftly done
He’s at the end of his tether as he struggles to find his creative muse until Death shows up. However, instead of carrying him off, Death helps him work through what it means to live, love, die, and, even more important than death, create music that isn’t just about pleasing the record company or fans.
Showell’s live music is the plot device that moves the story along, but this isn’t a musical, and the flow of songs, drama and comedy is lightly and deftly done as George’s increasing maturity leads to inspiration and an unexpected duet.
Simply Surreal’s take on Death isn’t the last word on the character or the subject, but it’s a knock-out, tongue-in-cheek story that’ll genuinely leave you with a smile on your face, and maybe even a song in your cold, cold heart.
Running time: One hour (no interval)
Greenside @ George Street (Ivy Studio) The Royal Society of Edinburgh, 22-26 George Street, EH2 2PQ (Venue 236)
Friday 2 – Saturday 10 August 2024
Daily: 6.35pm
Tickets and details: Book here.
Instagram: @simplyysurreall
Facebook: @SimplySurreall
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/simplysurreal
Tom Showell. Pic: Simply Surreal
ENDS
