one4review | On 04, Aug 2019

Taylor Dyson, who plays the central character Tay, wrote this incredibly emotional and enjoyable piece of theatre.
Tay returns to Dundee after a 6 month absence whilst studying at Glasgow University. She seeks to reconnect with her family, friends and her hometown and has a secret to confess, but no one appears to care. Through the mediums of poetry, song and story telling in her Dundee dialect Tay recounts her first night home as the initial anticipation is replaced by a sense of dislocation as her friends and family fail to welcome her home with open arms. Although this is a bitter sweet tale, there are many laughs along the way with the hallucinatory scene on the steps of the McManus Galleries being a real stand out (I will never look at the Robert Burns statue on Albert Square in the same light again!). This piece also wonderfully illustrates the confusion of identities held by Dundee with its rich industrial heritage, the deprivation following the collapse of those industries and its position and a new cultural hotspot despite the poverty still felt by many of the locals.
Taylor’s performance was fantastic and her final speech ‘Who Am I?’ brought tears to my eyes. (I could have done without the audible Assembly Staff announcements coming through a set of headphones at the back during the quieter moments!!) The use of the Dundee dialect added a richness to the dialogue bringing her family and friends to life as she played out her interactions with them. She is a real talent and I look forward to seeing her career flourish.
Reviewed by Rona
Assembly Roxy
2.20pm
Until 26th August