CHIPS by Ruaraidh Murray. Directed by Michael Nardone

HUNT by Andrea McKenzie. Directed by Gwen Dolan

Sunday Palms by Sean Langtree. Directed by Grace Ava Baker

BRACE by Geraldine Lang. Directed by Matthew Attwood

Review by Hunter King

The Traverse Theatre

In a season of pantos and Christmas joy, the Traverse Theatre brought back 4PLAY, a showcase of new writing by four Scottish playwrights. The organisers of 4PLAY have aptly named their programming, as each play only showcases the beginning of a full production and gets the audience just warmed up enough to want what comes next. Each play ranged from ten to twenty minutes, and most of them were fairly minimalist with their staging, seemingly preparing for a production that would not have the time to do extravagant set design a la the Fringe. All of the four plays have drastically different vibes, which, even though it can feel like whiplash at times, do provide a bit of variety for all audience members. 

“Chips” started the evening out with a quick-witted and impressive physical piece of theatre. Kaz (Christie Russell-Brown) and Wan (Calum Manchip) attempt to steal expensive microchips, worth £400 each. The ski mask-wearing bandits almost get away with it before being caught by their coworker, Terry (Ruaraidh Murray), who attempts to stop them. Although this play was undoubtedly the shortest of the night, it may have been the one that packed the most punch. The snappy dialogue kept it moving at a steady pace, and the lack of physical props was at worst unnoticeable and at best clearly intentional, as the actors made each mimed prop feel like it took up a space within their world. This darkly comedic piece combines slapstick and dialogue seamlessly. If the full production keeps the pace that this showcase of “Chips” set, it could easily be energised and impressive.

After an extended set transition, which included constructing some very sketchy scaffolding, “Brace” began with a conversation that felt more grounded in reality with two construction workers who immediately felt familiar, especially after watching them joking with each other and adlibbing in character to construct their set. Paul (Jack Elvey) and Lewis (Kieran Lee–Hamilton) connect with each other about bad bosses breathing down their necks and hardships at home. After a workplace incident, they learn that only one of them will be able to keep their job, clearly setting a rift between them that will surely be explored more in the extended version of the play. While each play presented the opportunity to leave the audience in anticipation, this piece definitely has the clearest direction of where it will go next, and I am excited to see where it ends up.

During a 20-minute interval, the stage was rearranged and set to look like a nice flat overlooking the meadows for “Sunday Palms.” This scene started with some excellent sound design, including ambient noise hiding under The Doors’ “The End,” which immediately gave the scene a sense of eeriness. Brian (Daniel Campbell) goes about his daily routine, navigating his flat before turning on Netflix and being interrupted by a voicemail from his mother, which isn’t explored too deeply, but I can only imagine will be resolved with a full production. Suddenly, he’s interrupted by a visitor at his door, Nathan (Sean Langtree). Langtree perfectly toes the line of believability in his portrayal of Nathan as a strange man, but clearly not inhuman, culminating in an excellent scene of him having a full breakdown in the middle of Brian’s apartment. While this scene felt the most complete of the evening, having had a fairly full story arc, I would absolutely watch an extended version of this play. The ending was unexpected, visceral, and exciting.

Finally, two doomsday preppers, Mags (Deborah Whyte) and Joel (Andrea McKenzie), took the stage for “Hunt.” After AI has taken over the world and caused a mass extinction event, these friends are preparing to live off the grid and to be the saviours of the human race. Whyte and McKenzie play their characters with much verve and pizazz, but unfortunately, this script falls a bit short, relying heavily on ultra-specific pop culture references for a scene that already feels dated while being brand new. Nobody knows how long the “six-seven” meme will last, but it is immortalised in “Hunt” for better or for worse. This scene also had an extended music-videoesque section where McKenzie interacted with the audience several times, which felt out of place for the rest of the scene. While the scene did make me giggle a few times, I think a more timeless rewrite would suit it well. That said, major kudos must be given to Whyte and McKenzie, as the scene itself was difficult and clearly a workout, which they pulled off with ease.

The works presented at 4PLAY were exactly what they were advertised to be: a precursor to something exciting and a tool to get audiences in the right mood for the real thing that will hopefully come sooner rather than later. 

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