The Devil Went Down to Gorgie
★★★☆☆ Nae fearties
Laughing Horse @ West Port Oracle (Venue 75): Sun 18 – Sun 26 Aug 2024
Review by Thom Dibdin
New grassroots company Pasuz Productions play everything just about right for their debut production, The Devil Went Down to Gorgie a piece of comedy horror framed in a dreadful office-workers bonding day, playing the West Port Oracle for the final week of the Fringe.
Mac and Beth are in the team-bonding day from hell, stuck on a mountain with only their hyper- enthusiastic colleague Will. Fortunately he is a wee feartie, so when he misplaces his agenda for the day, Beth has a line in spooky stories that is ooglie enough to make the time pass faster.
Victoria Hopkins and Fiona Hourston as Beth and Mac. Pic: Pasuz Productions
With a “Well, it was like this…” from Victoria Hopkins as Beth, and not a wavy fade in sight, they’ve left the tiny stage of the 27-seat venue for Stephanie Boyne and Patch Connarty as Rosie and Peter. The young pregnant couple are hanging out in their Gorgie flat of an evening when there is a knock on the door and Rosie sees a strange visitor enter the room…
Paul Blanchfield’s script is nicely turned in the proper tradition of such stories, with each successive element become increasingly scary.
To set the tone, Finn MacMillan’s manic Will has the first stab, with an almost throwaway piece about a file that always makes its way to cabinet 666, that has Beth and Fiona Hourston’s cynical Mac falling asleep within seconds.
bite
Beth’s tale has a lot more bite, with Connarty’s slobbish Peter, nicely incredulous when Rosie says she can see a “visitor” – the puck-like Scott Adair-Grabas as the Pasuz, who leaps around, flirting silently with the audience, mocking Peter and generally acting the loon.
A hospital scene where the couple go for a scan is pure B-Movie schlock. And all the better for it, with a bathing-cap-bedecked Blanchfield as the glaikit Doc Naptime, Ennae McKnight as a cackling Nurse Hatchet and a strange man with a chopping knife in his head. They are, of course, number 666 in the queue.
Patch Connarty as Peter. Pic: Pasuz Productions
The format allows the office trio to leap in when things get a bit too spooky for Will. And provides a nice framing for the jump-cut to six years, six months and six days after young Damon’s birth, when Rosie is called to see his teacher, Miss Carr (McKnight again), as he seems “troubled”.
The ensuing rounds of improbable scenes involve tarot readings, live exorcism on Morning TV (MacMillan and Hourston do a lovely little parody as presenters George and Barbara Daytime) and the return of Blanchfield as a defrocked priest.
This is mostly about delivering comedy well, which the cast do in what can be an unforgiving room. Aside from the central couple, there isn’t a huge amount of space here for any kind of character development. But there are strong performances all round and characters are clearly established, particularly by those doubling.
well handled
The company’s use of simple costumes, bad wigs and basic props to help signpost character is thoughtfully done. The projected backdrops, while not always as visible as you might like in the rudimentary lighting scheme of the room, are more than most Free Fringe shows can muster.
The key performances from Kit Young as the troubled Damo and Scott Adair-Grabas as the Demon Pasuz – rather less benign that the usual childhood invisible friend – is very well handled. Although, of necessity, you do fear that those at the back will not be able to see their child’s-play on the floor of the stage.
Finn MacMillan and Fiona Hourston as George and Barbara. Pic: Pasuz Productions
Blanchfield’s script works well, despite introducing far too many strands that are left dangling and unresolved for comfort. It could also include a few references to make it specific to Gorgie and other Edinburgh localities: the only real one is in the title.
What is important is that the whole piece obeys the three key rules for success of comic theatre on the Fringe: great performances, great timing and an auspicious room.
everything zings along
Playing your debut in the room where the Stand held its first stand-up gigs is a solid start. The performances are believable (within the scheme of such things, at least). And Blanchfield’s direction ensures that everything zings along at pace, switching logically and quickly between scenes, so that, at 40 minutes, it leaves everyone wanting more.
Pasuz Productions has been put together by folk who met at classes with Acting Out and Edinburgh Acting School. The Devil Went Down to Gorgie is a great testament to all concerned: the company and their tutors alike. A delicious morsel of well-constructed and well-timed devlish entertainment.
Running time: 40 minutes (no interval)
Laughing Horse @ West Port Oracle (Flight Club), 27 West Port, EH1 2LD (Venue 75)
Sunday 18 – Sunday 25 August 2024
Daily: 7.30 pm
Details at: Book here
Website: www.pasuzproductions.co.uk
Instagram: @pasuzproductions
TikTok: @pasuzproductions
X: @PasuzProd
Ennae McKnight as Miss Carr. Pic: Pasuz Productions
ENDS
