Theatre review: 50 words, Paradise in The Vault, Edinburgh

There’s a real core of emotional intelligence at the heart of this two-hander about dealing with grief and the therapeutic powers of The Shipping Forecast.

50 Words, Paradise in The Vault (Venue 29)

50 Words, Paradise in The Vault ***

Written and performed by Alex Zawalnyski and Luke Malone it manages to portray autism in an astute and understandable manner.

James (Zawalnyski) has just lost his mum while his stepfather, Alan (Malone), is so concerned about how his son is dealing with it he’s put his own grieving to one side. James deals with it by listening to The Shipping Forecast because talking about the weather is “normal”.

James needs to know just how heavy the rain will be in Cromarty because words matter. Emotions are much more complicated and not easily quantified – for both James and Alan – as the two men try to understand each other and how they feel. It’s a slight but sensitive piece which is both neatly written and convincingly performed by its young actors with a good deal of insight. A promising debut.

RORY FORD

Until 10 August

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