Fringe theatre review: Make-Up

A short film taster of Make-up, a new play coming to the Fringe in 2021, is a little too heavy on the exposition, writes Sally Stott.

Make-up is a new play coming to Underbelly (Wee Coo) in 2021.

Make-Up **

As a drag queen removes her make-up, her disillusioned performer-creator emerges from the empty echo of the dressing room to deliver the kind of confessional monologue that only seems to exist on stage (or, in this case, screen) in front of a mirror surrounded by lights.

Warmly performed by Moj Taylor, it’s a short extract of a longer play planned for next year. An empathetically written monologue by Andy Moseley, it is powered by expositional information and overly-explained emotions in a way that leaves little space for things to develop into something more intriguing.

However, there’s something strangely comforting about its predictable set-up in the current unpredictable world, perhaps proof those familiar Fringe shows that pop up every year, performed by different companies but otherwise essentially the same, will simply change and adapt to any kind of future festival.

It will be interesting to see if any surprises are planned, and where the full version of the piece, as well as those of us who will watch it, will be in August 2021.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive. We are now more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription to support our journalism.

Subscribe to scotsman.com and enjoy unlimited access to Scottish news and information online and on our app. Visit https://www.scotsman.com/subscriptions now to sign up.

By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Joy Yates

Editorial Director