Review: Moondial, Whitespace (Venue 116)

By David Pollock
Published on 16/08/2012 16:23

This new piece from the Moving Lights theatre company throws everything in but the sink, including psychological drama, student comedy and a heavy dose of magical realism.

***

It manages to land on its feet mainly due to a script from Helen McMillan, which is rich in good dialogue and five convincing performances from the all-female cast.

It’s about a young woman called Harley, who appears as unhappy as might be expected when she’s afflicted with a bunch of flatmates who are respectively loud, self-important and blessed with “a face like a skelped arse”.

On her overdue first visit into the cleaning cupboard, however, she discovers a portal into Miss Finnegan’s Finishing School “for f***wits”.

It’s a play which doesn’t shy away from its obviously geek-pleasing intentions but the fantastical lightness of tone is only a problem when it attempts to transition to a darker place towards the end.

As a piece about depression it feels simply too cheerful, but the resonances between Harley’s upbringing in the north of Scotland and her magical quest for the Chamber of the Moondial, and some masterfully snarky bitching between the characters, elevates this into an entertaining piece of work.

Until today, 6:45pm.