YOUR GUIDE TO EDINBURGH'S FESTIVALS
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ED2019 5/5 Reviews ED2019 Theatre Reviews
The Red (Corduroy Productions and Something For The Weekend)
By Andy Leask | Published on Thursday 8 August 2019
The power of this play lies in its simple sincerity; there’s nothing knowing or self-conscious here. Benedict is an alcoholic – 23 years sober – and on the day of his father’s funeral, he is tempted to drink again, from a very special bottle of wine. The two-hander is wonderfully, subtly performed (by real-life father and son Bruce and Sam Alexander) and exquisitely written by Marcus Brigstocke, taking inspiration from his own recovery. One could sneer at the middle-class airs – the play takes place in a well-stocked wine cellar and compares the merits of a 1978 Chateau Lafite to Waitrose’s cloudy apple juice – but doing so would miss the point: the deeply human struggle with grief, and with addiction.
Pleasance Dome, until 26 Aug.
tw rating 5/5 | [Andy Leask]
