Written by Huw Turnbull
Directed by Minnie Cross
Review by Greta Abbey
Slash, a new murder mystery performed at Bedlam Theatre by the Edinburgh University Theatre Company, successfully does what it says on the tin. Written by Huw Turnbull and directed by Minnie Cross, Slash is a 50-minute Cluedo-esque comedy set in a boy’s toilet that invites, if not sometimes implores, the audience to laugh with and at the four actors onstage.
The best part of this production is the palpable chemistry of the cast. The four actors, though only Danny (played by Leo Odgers), Billie (Ruth Maley), and Tom (Gordon Stackhouse), are already friends when the play opens, and they have an immediate comfort and ease onstage together. All four clearly take pleasure in simply existing within this space with each other, and it is a joy to watch. The sparse, though effective, set allows the physicality and presence of the actors to fill the theatre, which, under a more subdued performance, could feel somewhat cavernous. Most notably, Odgers’ and Stackhouse’s physical comedy demands attention. Stackhouse delivers a full-body performance that guarantees laughs every few minutes, though it sometimes felt over the top to the point of chaos. Odgers’ physicality is slightly more subtle and thus more interesting, and when he twirls like a ballerina onstage, it doesn’t feel out of place, even when playing a GP with a fear of blood.
Though the play’s conclusion is a bit murky, the whodunnit may leave you asking, “Who done it?” This is outweighed by the fun you will have to watch this raucous and joyous production.
Review by Greta Abbey (contact@corrblimey.uk)
Greta recently graduated with a degree in English Language and Literature from the University of Edinburgh, where she spent a large majority of her time doing all things theatre, including acting, choreographing, and writing, as well as less artistic tasks such as delegating and bossing people around as the President of Shakespeare Society. Greta is deeply passionate about the performing arts, having trained as a professional ballet dancer with the Joffrey Ballet and studied acting and improv at Second City Chicago prior to attending university. She will continue her studies at LAMDA, where she is pursuing an MFA in professional acting.
