Theatre review: Since U Been Gone, Assembly Roxy, Edinburgh

Beginning in the Noughties with the suicide of a best friend, this is the story of someone finding their identity.

The character on stage used to live as a boy and now identifies as they

Since U Been Gone, Assembly Roxy – Downstairs * * *

Queer theatre-maker Teddy Lamb reminisces about time spent with the friend who died, throwing in lots of references to computer games, pop music and trashy television to evoke a feeling of nostalgia.

The twist is the character on stage used to live as a boy and now identifies as ‘they’ – which means they can’t share their story with the friend who used to know them growing up.

What’s lacking is a sense of dramatic structure. The writing is purely a stream of consciousness, with no great revelation or insight into the events of the past. Nevertheless the music carries us along, the performance is heartfelt and the audience gains a real sense of how it feels to be in someone else’s skin.

Until 22 August. Today 3:45pm.

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