In the 70th anniversary year of the NHS, you can guess what left wing comedian and activist Mark Thomas will have to say about it. What’s interesting is the dramatic route he takes to make his argument, recreating segments from a series of interviews with people involved in various aspects of healthcare. These include two former Health Ministers, as well as his own GP listing the ways in which Thomas’ own health is likely to fail, interspersed with evocative descriptions of his visits to various frontline services: A&E, renal care, dementia. Throughout, the character he conveys of the people who deliver these services leads to a show which is compelling, both as polemic and theatrical endeavour.

Traverse Theatre, until 26 Aug.
tw rating 4/5 | [Bruce Blacklaw]