Written by Kari Hall

Review by Dominic Corr

Iron Belly at Underbelly, Cowgate

Chug a venom, and get ready for a fierce, unyielding authenticity which courses through Hame. Teeth. CLUB., a punchy one-woman show that captures the raw pulse of working-class Scottish youth with razor-sharp precision. Written by Kari Hall and presented by Sláinte! Theatre alongside Iona Bremner Productions, this coming-of-age story is as hilarious as it is profoundly heartbreaking.

At the centre of the drama is Morgan Shields, a party-loving teenager whose weekends revolve around the Dalkeith Miners Club. Her trajectory takes a sudden, devastating turn following a sexual assault, forcing a buoyant young woman to navigate the painful process of rebuilding her identity and sense of autonomy. Hall’s writing is exceptionally vibrant, leaning unapologetically into rich local dialect and Scots vernacular. In a festival landscape where working-class voices can often feel sidelined or boxed in, the play’s linguistic grounding feels gloriously refreshing and genuine.

As Morgan, Rhiannon Lucy Bird turns in a magnificent, highly physical performance. Entering through the auditorium with infectious warmth, she instantly commands the space, establishing an intimate rapport with the room. Bird demonstrates remarkable versatility as a storyteller, effortlessly shifting between light-hearted teenage banter, kinetic movement sequences, and moments of staggering, quiet vulnerability. Her ability to populate the stage with an array of secondary characters—from local peers to toxic male acquaintances—brings Morgan’s social circle to life, even if a few of those caricatures could occasionally benefit from slightly sharper definition.

Under Jessie-Wren Jacobs’ crisp direction, the production balances broad, observational humour with dark emotional truth. The shift from vibrant weekend escapism to the harrowing reality of trauma is handled with immense tact and realism, avoiding saccharine melodrama in favour of an honest, unvarnished portrayal of recovery. The light-hearted comedy never diminishes the severity of the core subject matter; rather, it makes the sudden intrusions of grief hit with far greater resonance.

While the narrative follows a familiar coming-of-age trajectory, the sheer heart, wit, and magnetic central performance elevate the material significantly. Kari Hall has made a firm stamp on the landscape of new writing, and is a welcome addition to the Scottish line-up, hoping we’ll see plenty from them in years to come. Hame. Teeth. CLUB. is an impressive, vital piece of contemporary theatre – a gripping showcase of Scottish talent that speaks with honesty, bite, and extraordinary spirit. There is an undoubted future for everyone involved here; and so there should be.

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