Presented by Trolley Problem
Review by Eloise Robertson
Peter McCormick’s Nesting is wonderfully metaphorical whilst holding true to the most touching elements of its subject matter. From the off, Billy Mack’s Francis is absolutely endearing; whether lip-syncing to booming music or crying through the most resonant moments with his daughter, he has the audience wholly invested. It is this attachment to Francis which holds the room’s careful attention throughout the piece.
With a plot so grounded in father-daughter love, it was essential to cast performers with a natural chemistry; in this much, they excelled. Playing Francis’ daughter Emma, Francesca Hess matched Mack’s naturalism and charm in perfect kind. They had a touching naturalism to them: Francis continued attempting humour, despite the physical struggles of Motor Neurone Disease, and Emma continued trying to banter back. Meanwhile, McCormick’s Doctor intermittently brought a satirical delight.
Around a third of the way through, this resonantly mundane picture we’d seen erupted. In its place stood a personified metaphor: a man (Michael Guest) portraying a seagull who wished to end Francis’ life, in order to alleviate his suffering. Guest’s portrayal was superb. After a fantastic introduction pecking wrappers from the bin with an uncannily bird-like quality, he grew with speech into a twisted and rather haunting character.
It is obvious McCormick has a knack for writing human interactions; he spaces fast-paced banter between gripping disagreements and emotional climaxes, making it all feel deeply natural. However, he struggled to integrate the seagull so neatly. Due to the large amounts of exposition required to justify the seagull’s metaphorical usefulness, his opening moments of speech were written rather unsubtly. At other moments, yet, the script was amongst the most nuanced and careful portrayals of a father’s love one might hope for.
Such was the interesting element of this production: it tried something innovative, mixed it in with real emotional resonance, added a touch of socio-political timeliness, and brought it to life with stellar performances. It is a real thinker, and what more can one want from the Fringe?
Wonderfully Metaphorical
Nesting runs Venue 26, Old Lab at Summerhall at 16:30
Running time – Sixty-fiee minutes
Review by Eloise Robertson (contact@corrblimey.uk)
Eloise is studying her fourth year of a Philosophy degree at University of Edinburgh, but she spends far too much time costuming student shows and writing opinion pieces for The Student. Since returning from her year abroad in Australia, she’s worked Bedlam Fringe and thrown herself back into Footlights and EUSOG by costuming both their main term shows. At the same time, she’s increasingly found her true passion in writing, and will begin her Master’s in International/Human Rights Journalism next September.
Eloise is a lover of all things camp and comedic, so she’s super excited to review stand-up, clowning, drag, musical theatre, and much more! At the same time, she’s a literature nerd who loves to see a reimagining of a traditional, emotive piece; whether it’s a one man Vanya or unicycling Bottom.
