Liz Lochhead, Scotland’s current Makar, has an obvious talent that validates both her title and artistic longevity. The show’s name is taken from W.H. Auden’s poem which states “poetry makes nothing happen”. Well, poetry did something for me here; this show was inspiring. Lochhead treats us to a myriad of early poems followed by a series of monologues or, as she’d prefer them to be known, small one person plays. These offer social commentary with a keen accuracy for detail – we’ve all encountered the characters she portrays. All theatre-makers should see this show, which ends with a poem offering up some of the best advice I’ve heard: “Always tell the story and make it make sense”.

The Assembly Rooms, 2-26 Aug (not 13) 1.15pm.
tw rating 4/5 | [Ella Fryer-Smith]