one4review | On 20, Aug 2019

The title of the play gives the audience an indication of the likely outcome. This is the club that no one wants to join – the one where prodigiously talented artists die at the age of 27. Nick, a painter, is a man in torment. He is on the cusp of his 27th birthday with his mind in meltdown as he obsesses about his failures in relationships with his partner Polly, the love of his life Lawrence and the one person who truly knows him, his sister Melissa. He shuns those who get close to him, and when he meets Lawrence he has the added stress of being unable to accept his sexuality. Beatrix a fellow artist tries to reach out and save him, but his self-hatred doesn’t allow anyone get close and when he rejects any medical help his fate seems inevitable.
This play was written by Lewis Lauder, a Napier student and despite the dark subject, he was able to bring flashes of humour to lighten the tense atmosphere of the drama. It’s an absorbing play, not afraid to tackle a difficult subject and well-acted by all the cast who are graduates of Napier and Queen Margaret Universities. It certainly deserves bigger audiences and I wish all concerned the very best for their futures – on this evidence they all have stellar careers to look forward to.
Reviewed by Rona
The Space On The Mile
1.50pm
Until 23rd August (Odd dates only)