Presented by Benson Drive Productions
Review by Hunter King
Belly Button at Underbelly, Cowgate
“Oh hey! You’re here!” is all that needed to come from Steve Burns’ mouth before the instant nostalgia set in for all of the (now) adults who grew up on Blue’s Clues. Burns has an incredibly thoughtful and emotional piece of theatre with Steve Burns: Alive, examining the difficulties and the beauty of his time as a well known children’ s TV show host.
Falling somewhere between comedy and tragedy, Alive examines the gritty details that audiences and children wouldn’t have seen in many of their first parasocial relationships. Burns recounts stories of visiting sick children, strange encounters in dating, dealing with mental illness, and finding joy through it all in his one man Fringe show. Admitting that he has always found it easier to talk to a camera than directly to an audience, he sets himself up with a live feed camera to project to the audience for some of the crucial moments of the show, reinventing the relationship that many of the audience had with him from their childhoods.
Burns knows how to build a tension in the room, pushing everyone to not just listen, but fully grasp the difficulties he experienced, only to break the tension with a well timed joke to allow some levity in an otherwise stressed room. The moments of levity make the show palatable, but the moments of tension make the show meaningful, providing an hour of confronting difficult realities and making sense of them.
Burns is a masterful storyteller, rebuilding the parasocial relationship he once had with the audience members, perhaps as children, but in this case in a way that is much more impactful for adults, leaving an inspirational message for them. He understands that the world has changed, and the audience has grown up, so in his same old Steve way, he will make sure that they are ok, and he will ask for help, not to find a triangle on the screen, but to make it through difficult times and know that there is support out there. The show is meaningful, inspirational, and although it may hit home only for those who grew up with the Steve they saw on TV, it has an important message that could be felt by anyone.
A Blessing, or A Curse
Steve Burns: Alive runs at Venue 61, Belly Button at Underbelly, Cowgate at 17:20
Running time – Sixty minutes
Review by Hunter King (contact@corrblimey.uk)
Hunter is a 2024 Master’s graduate of the University of Edinburgh and current doctoral candidate with a thesis focused on experimental theatre in Edinburgh. He has been a theatre practitioner for over a decade having worked in many capacities including as a director, actor, stage manager, front of house manager, and technician as well as others. Prior to moving to Edinburgh, Hunter was a high school English teacher in the United States. His passion for the written word as well as his passion for live performance are what motivated him to become a writer for this publication.
