Slash
★★★★☆ Witty and clever
Bedlam (Venue 49): Wed 31 July – Sunday 11 August 2024
Review by Jemima Hawkins
Slash is a witty murder mystery with a clever twist. Performed at Bedlam by the Edinburgh University Theatre Company, the show is a whodunnit with perfect comedic timing. Set entirely in a boy’s toilet.
Written by Huw Turnbull, assisted by director Minnie Cross, the play follows three childhood friends and all their possible motives for the crime.
Ruth Maley, Leo Odgers, Charlie Mitchell and Gordon Stackhouse. Pic: Andrew Morris
Owen is in a cubicle – dead. His old friends Tom, Billie and Danny are all suspects. Tom, played by Gordon Stackhouse, is a lovable hypochondriac who has a long-kept secret that Owen knew, so might have wanted to keep him quiet.
He plays the character with believable intensity, building in anxiety to a final showdown with old friend Danny, played by Leo Odgers, whose fear of blood and conflict despite being a GP makes him the perfect butt of many jokes.
Billie, played by Ruth Maley, is the female influence and supposed voice of reason throughout. While her position in the boy’s toilet is questionable at first, her female juxtaposition to the quarrelling men adds to the drama of the performance.
neurotic charm`
The introduction of true crime enthusiast Alex, played with neurotic charm by Charlie Mitchell, throws a spanner into the works, as he makes it his mission to discover who killed Owen and why.
Deeming everyone a suspect, he comedically maps out the murderous possibilities, including a chaotic murder ‘re-enactment’ full of innuendos and slapstick physical comedy. Cross’s intelligent direction (assisted by Turnbull) sees the friends turn to rivals.
Some loose ends remain in that way, as the twisting truth behind the mystery is revealed, but Slash will keep you guessing and chuckling away. The intelligent unity of writing and direction creates a perfect whirlwind of comedy that is not just toilet humour.
Running time: 50 minutes (no interval)
Bedlam Theatre, 11b Bristo PL, Edinburgh, EH1 1EZ (Venue 49)
Wednesday 31 July – Sunday 11 August 2023
Daily: 16.55pm
Tickets and details: Book here.
X: @Slash_Fringe24
Facebook: @Slash Fringe 24
Instagram: @slash.fringe2024
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/slashfringe
ENDS
